


Dear Will

by The Tozier Wheeler Twins (omfgiminlovewithneeks)



Series: I Just Want You to Be Happy [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Advent Calendar, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Dustin Henderson, Bisexual Lucas Sinclair, Bisexual Mike Wheeler, F/F, Fluff, Gay Will Byers, Homophobic Language, M/M, Polyamory, Post-Season 2, Secret Admirer, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Drinking, Will Byers deserves all the love, Will-centric, but which ship is the endgame?, lots of hints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-08-29 20:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 109,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16750918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omfgiminlovewithneeks/pseuds/The%20Tozier%20Wheeler%20Twins
Summary: On the first day of December, Will found out he had a secret admirer. His problem? He couldn't decide which of his best friends he wanted to be this admirer the most.





	1. Prologue - November 30th

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, everyone!
> 
> Since Christmas is the season of love, I've decided to give the best boy in the world as much love as I can.  
> If you know me from some other fics, don't worry, I haven't dropped that yet, and I don't plan to. I just have a little writer's block.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy, and have a great holiday!

He took a deep breath before entering the school.

Alright, this was the day.

No more backtracking. No more chickening out. No more buts and what-ifs.

He’d already stayed up all night writing that letter, in fucking cursive to stop his friends from recognizing his handwriting, so he’d better get himself together and follow his plan.

He opened his locker and put both the letter and the package inside.

He couldn’t do anything yet anyway.

He spotted his friends approaching, and quickly closed his locker before turning to them with a wide smile.

 

~~******** ********* ********~~

 

Lunchtime was his first window of opportunity.

Lots of distractions to cover his tracks.

The girls were in their own world, whispering and giggling to each other, probably about their sleepover this weekend.

Everyone would agree that they were the best of friends.

Well, he knew better.

The guys were talking animatedly about the movie on TV last night, as if they hadn’t been texting in the group chat, giving each other live updates already.

But Will’s eyes still lit up at the mention of his favorite parts.

Those beautiful hazel eyes.

He could just look into Will’s eyes and get lost in them for hours.

But he wouldn’t, because that would definitely weird Will out, and that was the last thing he wanted.

He saw his moment when Will finally took his lunch box out of his backpack.

Based on one of his test runs, he’d learned that the boy never looked inside that compartment, so he could pretty much put anything there without risk of being found.

He’d actually put his own calculator there once and waited to see how long it’d take for Will to find it.

After a week he’d had to discreetly take it out because he needed it to do his homework, and he couldn’t risk drawing the boy’s attention towards that compartment.

He quickly took out the small package in his jacket pocket, and carefully slipped it into Will’s backpack.

Neither Will nor any of the other boys saw what he did, so he counted that as a win.

As he looked up, his eyes met Jane’s, and she shot him a questioning look.

Great. It was like nobody could hide anything from Jane.

Still, he made a face at her, and she rolled her eyes before getting back to her conversation with Max.

He was safe.

For now.

But he definitely needed to talk to the girl about this.

 

On Friday, Will’s last class was art, and he always stayed behind and waited for them there to show them his work of the day.

So this would be his last chance to go for it.

As they helped Will put everything away, he reached for the boy’s drawing binder and slid the red envelope in the middle.

That was everything for today. There was no turning back now.

As they walked outside, he put his arm around Will’s shoulder and watched the boy’s cheeks turn pink as he smiled back.

He would love nothing more than to just lean in and kiss his cheek.

If things went well, he would be able to.

He mentally crossed his fingers.

 

~~******** ********* ********~~

 

He was lying on his bed, staring at his alarm clock as it approached midnight.

_11:58. 11:59._

Tomorrow would be the first day.

He would not back down.

He would not stop.

He would not jeopardize his own plan no matter how he felt.

He would see this plan through like it was the most important thing he’d ever done, because it was.

_12:00_.

“I love you, Will,” he whispered before closing his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think about this chapter? Like it? Love it? Want me to change something? Hate it? Feel free to let me know.
> 
> Also, what ship is your favorite, and what do you want to be the end game? Don't hesitate to discuss that in the comment section either.


	2. Saturday, December 1st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone, and welcome to another chapter of this fic. Thank you so much for the love you've given the prologue so far.
> 
> I also notice that most of you want Byeler to be the endgame. Well, hopefully, I will have changed your mind by the time that gets revealed.
> 
> Enjoy!

Will woke up at 7am, like he always did on Saturday.

It had always been a routine for him — waking up, having breakfast with his mom before she left for work, drawing for a bit before he either went to one of his friends’ house or waited for them to come to him.

Well, they hadn’t made any plans for today yet, so he guessed he’d be hearing from them sometime later.

And by ‘them’ he meant the boys.

Recently Max and Jane had been having sleepovers every weekend, so he didn’t expect them to join the rest of the Party.

Which meant he got to spend his two free days with the boys.

Will blushed slightly at that.

The boys.

Which consisted of Dustin — the smartest boy he’d ever known, the constantly curious soul of the group.

Who had gone from _adorable_ to _adorable and hot,_ ever since he’d gotten beauty tips from Steve, which he still refused to share with anyone else.

Whom he might have had a small crush on.

And Lucas — the most romantic person he knew, the one who wouldn’t hesitate to perform a grand gesture, like standing outside someone’s window, in the rain, holding a boombox playing love songs.

Whom he might or might not have a crush on as well, which was bad because he was with Max.

And finally, Mike — the most caring and understanding boy in his life, the one who always stayed next to him and believed in him no matter what, and his first friend ever.

Whom he definitely could not, and should not have a crush on, because he was dating his stepsister-to-be.

Will sighed.

It was a stupid thing to fall for his three best friends.

His three very straight best friends.

Yet somehow he couldn’t help it.

He tiredly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, refreshing himself before starting his weekend.

 

~~******** ******** ********~~

 

“Morning, honey,” Joyce greeted when the boy finally walked into the kitchen. “How did you sleep?”

“I slept great, mom,” he chuckled. His mom still had the habit of checking to see if he’d had any nightmares, even years after the mind flayer incident. “How was your date night?”

Friday nights were Joyce’s date nights, and let’s just say that he’d rather not know what time his mom came home, or whether Jim spent the night. That was why he usually went to bed extra early on Friday.

“It was great,” his mom smiled and put a plate of pancakes in front of him before sitting down, sighing and looking down — her telltale gesture whenever she wanted to tell him something important. “Actually, I need to talk to you about it”.

Will nodded to indicate that he was listening, but didn’t say anything as he started eating.

“You see, Jim was thinking about visiting his relatives this Christmas,” Joyce cleared her throat. “He wants to go on a vacation with Jane to California, and he’s invited us to come along”.

Will blinked as he heard the news.

California.

That was… far away.

Across the country.

Warm sunny beaches were nice, but it wasn’t what he’d had in mind for Christmas.

“Oh?” He said after realizing his mom was waiting for his reply. “That sounds nice. When is it?”

“Jim was thinking of leaving around mid-December. You’ll have to miss a week of classes, but I’ll talk to the school, and your friends can help you catch up with—”.

“Mom,” he interrupted, “how about you go ahead and go with Jim? I was thinking about visiting Jonathan instead”.

He wasn’t lying though — he had been thinking about going to New York this Christmas, but the main reason he wanted to stay behind was so he could spend less time away from his friends.

Maybe he could even ask Mike to tag along with him to visit Nancy as well.

“Oh… Are you sure, honey?” His mom looked hesitant at the idea of him being alone. “I mean, I don’t have to go with him. We can both go visit Jonathan if you want”.

“I’m sure,” he smiled warmly at her. “I’m almost 17 now. I can take care of myself. I can give you a call every night if you want, and I’m sure my friends won’t let anything harm us”.

After the mind flayer incident, the boys had been paying extra attention to him, and although he couldn’t say he liked being handled with kid gloves (Mike was still the only one who didn’t make him feel helpless), spending more time with his crushes had never been bad.

His mom was still frowning at him, so he continued. “I’m serious, mom. I’m not 12 anymore. I can take care of myself,” he assured her again.

“Alright,” Joyce rolled her eyes. “I’ll think about it”.

Will grinned and continued eating. It would take some more convincing, but he was sure that he could talk his mom into going on that vacation with Jim.

“So, where are you going to be today?” His mom asked, changing the topic.

“I’m not sure yet,” he shrugged. “We didn’t make any plans yesterday, so I guess I’ll wait and see. I’ll text you if I go somewhere,” he grinned.

His mom chuckled and rubbed his hair affectionately, before having to leave the kitchen to prepare for work.

 

~~******** ******** ********~~

 

After he’d washed the dishes, Will came back to his room and took out his binder.

He planned to draw Dustin today, having finished a drawing of Lucas the previous weekend.

Mike’s would be next week’s project.

Who knew, if the drawings ended up good enough, he might consider them to be a part of their Christmas presents.

But again, if that were the case, he would have to draw Max and Jane as well, unless he wanted them to think that the boys were more special.

Not that they weren’t in his mind, but he didn’t want people to know that.

As his mind wandered, Will failed to notice something slipping out of the binder before it fell to the ground and made a quiet sound.

He looked down, frowning.

It was an envelope.

Where had it come from? How had it gotten inside his binder?

The boy tentatively picked up the sleeve and examined it carefully.

It was a plain scarlet envelope, with no decorations whatsoever other than the neat unfamiliar handwriting on the front in metallic gold.

 _Will Byers_.

His eyes widened

This was meant for him.

He cautiously opened it and took out its contents.

Inside was a letter in cream-colored paper.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You’re probably astonished to find this letter right now, wondering who sent you this, and why._ **
> 
> **_Well, I can’t answer the first question just yet, but I’ll tell you why._ **
> 
> **_I love you, Will._ **
> 
> **_I have known it for a while now._ **
> 
> **_You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about walking up to you and saying those words, but I guess I’m too much of a coward to do that, so I’m gonna hide behind these words for now._ **
> 
> **_However, I do want you to know that I’m completely serious about what I just wrote, so this is what I’m gonna do._ **
> 
> **_From now until Christmas Eve, I’m going to give you a little gift every day — like an Advent calendar of your own. Then, on Christmas Day, I’m going to come out to you._ **
> 
> **_If you don’t feel the same way, that’s perfectly fine. I’m not doing this to win you over. I just want to show you how much I care for you._ **
> 
> **_I want you to be happy, Will, because your smile is brighter and warmer than a million suns, and seeing it never fails to make my day._ **
> 
> **_Although, I must admit, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you happen to feel the same way about me either._ **
> 
> **_Have a great first day of December. I hope you like your first gift._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you._ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will frowned as he reread the letter for the fifth time, trying to make sense of the words in front of him.

A love letter? A secret admirer?

Somebody loved him?

This must be some kind of cruel joke.

He didn’t recognize the handwriting. Not from anyone in one of his classes. Not from any of the insulting notes that had been stuffed inside his locker.

He sighed.

This had to be someone’s brilliant idea of a hilarious way to make fun of him, sending him a love letter and watching him look stupid trying to figure out who it could be.

They had probably noticed him not giving a second glance at those notes and wanted to step up their game.

He should just throw this away like he always did.

Will frowned as he looked at the letter again.

So why didn’t he?

What if…?

No.

He wouldn’t let himself think like that. He couldn’t set himself up for heartbreak.

Yet he found himself putting the letter back inside the envelope neatly before trying to turn back to his little art project.

He sighed.

Damn this little spark of hope.

 

~~******** ******** ********~~

 

“You can’t possibly believe that. Mike, tell him it’s not true,” Dustin protested loudly from Will’s bed.

“Sorry, Dustin, but I’m with Lucas on this,” Mike chuckled as he sat next to Lucas on the floor. “He didn’t say the movies were better. He said they weren’t that bad”.

Dustin gasped dramatically. “I can’t believe the both of you. Are you actually goblins with intelligence scores of zero? They changed the whole thing, only briefly mentioned important characters who would’ve had major impacts on the whole storyline, and they fucking resurrected Kronos in the second movie. How the fuck were the Percy Jackson movies not that bad? Will, back me up here”.

“I think I’m gonna sit this one out,” Will smiled sheepishly from the end of his bed as Dustin looked at him with an utterly betrayed look before turning back to argue with the boys.

He knew the other two didn’t really mean it, especially since he had, on more than one occasion, heard Mike’s rant about how the movies were a total disgrace, and shouldn’t have been made in the first place.

More than likely, they were just trying to rile Dustin up for some reason, and they were succeeding, too.

Although he wasn’t going to complain about it.

Dustin did look really adorable when he ranted about something he loved, in the way that angry puppies looked adorable.

Will blushed slightly at that.

Now was not a good time to think about one of his best friends like that.

Although he supposed if he just observed Dustin to draw him better, then it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

He mentally rolled his eyes at his own lame excuse.

“So, do you guys have any plans for Christmas yet?” Dustin suddenly asked, and Will’s mind couldn’t help but think about the letter he’d received. He also noticed that Mike and Lucas had briefly shared a look before turning to the boy with the question. “I’m just asking because my mom wants to visit my aunt Arlene this Christmas, and she said I could not come if I wanted to”.

“Well, now that you mentioned it, Lucas and I talked last night,” Mike cleared his throat. “My parents are taking Holly to see uncle Went—”

“Wait, so you’re not gonna be around on Christmas?” Dustin interrupted, asking the question Will had wanted to ask himself.

“Jeez, Dustin, let him talk,” Lucas scoffed. “Mike told them he wanted to go to New York to visit Nancy instead, and they said he could. He asked whether I wanted to tag along, and my parents allowed me to”.

“So you’re all going away on Christmas?” Will asked, still trying to process what he’d just heard.

All his friends were going away on Christmas.

That wasn’t fun.

“Actually, I was kinda hoping you’d come along, too,” Mike turned to him and smiled bashfully. “You can visit Jonathan too, and my parents said they might be able to find a place for us to stay. Of course, Dustin is also very welcome to join,” he chuckled as he turned back to the other boy.

“Good, because I’m definitely going with you,” Dustin gave them a toothy grin as he hopped off the bed. “No way I’m gonna miss my first chance to see New York”.

They all then turned to Will, and it took him a moment to realize that he still hadn’t responded to Mike’s invitation.

“Oh, sure!” He smiled sheepishly. “I was thinking about going to visit Jonathan, too. Mom is going on a vacation with Jim, and I didn’t feel like traveling across the country on Christmas holiday”.

It had only occurred to him now that he had also planned to visit Jonathan, and that he had initially thought about asking Mike to tag along.

He guessed he was just a little taken aback when he learned that Mike had talked to Lucas about it instead of him.

But it made sense.

Mike knew he always went to sleep early on Friday, so he probably hadn’t wanted to disturb when he’d made the plan.

“That’s great! We can all be together on Christmas,” Mike gave him a blinding smile that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Not good.

Now was _definitely_ not the time to pine over your best friend.

Or best friends.

Whatever.

He needed to pull himself together.

“Hey, Will, what’s this?” Dustin’s voice rang from behind him, and as he turned around, only one thought was in his mind when he realized that the other boy was holding the red envelope he’d left on his desk.

Shit.

“I-It’s nothing,” Will quickly said as his face turned slightly pink, but Lucas had already shot up and approached Dustin.

“Why is your face all red, then? Oh, is it a love letter?” The dark-skinned boy raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously.

“It’s just a stupid joke somebody came up with,” he said frustratedly and got up as he tried to take the envelope from Dustin, but his friend had already held it above his head and, unfortunately, out of Will’s reach.

He could practically feel Mike’s burning gaze boring into the back of his head, but didn’t turn around.

“If it’s a joke then you don’t mind us reading it, do you?” Dustin asked triumphantly.

Will rolled his eyes in defeat and plopped himself back down on the bed. “Knock yourself out,” he sighed, and that was all the permission Dustin needed to take the letter out of the envelope and hold it so Lucas could read over his shoulder.

As his two best friends’ focus shifted, Mike moved to sit next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Will,” he said softly, “you okay?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and gave Mike a timid smile. “It’s just— They’re gonna make a big deal out of it now, and it’s just a stupid hoax anyway,” he shrugged.

“I don’t know… This is a little too much for something like that,” Lucas shrugged and passed Mike the letter as he and Dustin finished reading.

Mike took the piece of paper tentatively and looked at Will, silently checking to see if he was okay with it.

Such a considerate boy.

Will rolled his eyes and nodded his head. “Go ahead,” he said softly and smiled warmly. “The other two have already read it, after all”.

Mike grinned in response before he started reading, and Will turned back to his other two friends. “What do you mean ‘too much’?” He furrowed his eyebrows. “I think they finally realize that their old tricks don’t work anymore, and they want to up their game”.

“Come on, Will,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “Do you think the people who resort to spineless tricks like that could figure it out, and sit down to write this long ass love letter to hurt you?”

“He has a point, man,” Lucas sighed. “This isn’t what you’d write when you wanted to have a good laugh. This is more like what you’d write if you were hopelessly, irretrievably in love with someone”.

“Someone has been binging How I Met Your Mother again, I see,” Dustin snickered.

“Bite me,” Lucas snapped back.

“They said they’d give you a gift each day,” Mike interrupted the bickering. “So what is today’s?”

All three pairs of eyes turned to look at Mike, then, without needing any signals, they all turned to Will.

“I— Uh— There’s only the letter in that envelope,” he shrugged. “I told you, it’s a sick joke. I bet it’s from one of Troy’s goons”.

“Have you checked your backpack yet?” Lucas asked.

“Well, no, but I dou— Dustin!” Will hadn’t finished his sentence yet when the curly haired boy went and grabbed his bag, emptying the contents onto the floor. He inwardly thanked anyone who listened that he didn’t put any of his more incriminating drawings there.

“Aha!” Dustin exclaimed triumphantly, and as Will looked down, he noticed a small box-shaped gift in crimson red wrapping with tiny sky blue polka dots on the floor.

“Looks like that secret admirer of yours is legit after all,” Mike chuckled.

Will picked up the package and examined it carefully.

It was small — not bigger than his phone, rather light, and carefully wrapped.

If he had to guess, he’d say it was a box of something.

Hopefully not dead slugs.

Or alive.

That would’ve been the worst thing imaginable to him.

He hadn’t been too fond of the species since the one Dustin had adopted had tried to eat his friends.

He could feel his friends whispering behind him, probably also trying to guess the contents, but all his attention was temporarily on the little gift, as he carefully unwrapped it, trying not to damage the wrapping paper.

When he finally opened it, his breath hitched.

It was a phone case.

Someone had noticed that he’d been using Jonathan’s plain hand-me-down jeans colored case.

And they’d bought him a new one.

It was a red and gold case with an oil-spill-looking hydro dipping pattern.

But as he picked it up to take a closer look, Will noticed something.

The case had a faint spray paint smell, and there was a tiny word engraved at the bottom.

 _Will_.

That was when he realized that it was probably a handmade case, using spray paints and a water bucket.

He’d seen a video or two about making something like that.

This discovery made the gift a whole lot more personal, and left him utterly speechless.

“Woah, that looks so cool,” Dustin’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“About time you get a new case,” Lucas chuckled.

“Totally,” Mike agreed. “This one looks more… him, you know what I mean? Artsier”.

Will turned around to look at his best friends, his mouth slightly opened as he was still trying to figure out what to say.

Based on their looks, they were also expecting him to say something.

“I— Uh, I think this is handmade,” he said sheepishly, and watched his friends’ eyes widen in surprise.

“No fucking way,” Dustin whispered. “Are you serious?”

“How did you even know?” Mike asked.

Will handed the case to his friends. “It still has a faint spray paint smell, and my name is there at the bottom as well”.

“Oh shit,” Lucas grinned as he looked for the signs Will had just pointed out. “So I guess this secret admirer is legit then,” he said as he passed the case back to Will.

“There’s still a chance that this whole thing is a hoax, you know?” Will stubbornly said, although he didn’t really believe that anymore.

“Are you even listening to yourself, Will?” Dustin asked incredulously. “Nobody, and I do mean _nobody_ , would make someone a super cool phone case as a hoax”.

Of course his friends weren’t stupid, and of course, they would point out exactly where his logic was flawed.

“But I mean, it’s me we’re talking about,” Will frowned. “The zombie boy, remember? Who would even love someone like me?”

Lucas looked at his other two friends with the unmistakable ‘is he fucking serious’ look, while Dustin took a more direct approach. “So what are we, potatoes?” He asked incredulously.

“You know what I mean,” Will rolled his eyes. “They obviously didn’t mean they loved me like a friend”.

Whatever response Dustin had in mind died as Mike put his hand on the other boy’s shoulder. “What we’re trying to say is, _maybe_ , there are people who love you like that, and _maybe_ , that for a really observant artist, you can be quite oblivious sometimes,” the boy sighed.

“Anyway,” Lucas interrupted before any of them could continue the topic, “can you think of anyone? As your secret admirer, I mean”.

Will shook his head. “There are hundreds of students in our school,” he said softly. “Any of them could be my secret admirer”.

“But do you have someone you hope would be the secret admirer?” Dustin asked.

 _Yeah, you guys,_ he thought before he could help it.

“N-Not yet,” he lied sheepishly and bit his lips nervously. “But can we talk about something else, please? If this was legit, they said they would come out to me on Christmas anyway. Who wants to watch a movie?”

The boys groaned, whether because of the topic change or because he’d said ‘if this was legit’, he didn’t know. But he knew he wouldn’t let himself think about this more than he had to.

 

~~******** ******** ********~~

 

As Will laid awake that night, staring at the phone case on his nightstand, his mind inevitably drifted back to his secret admirer.

Not that he had been more successful avoiding it during the day, with the boys trying to bring it up every half an hour.

He thought about all the faces he saw every day at school, wondering if he knew the secret admirer.

He wished he knew who it was, so he could make it better for them.

Because he knew all too well what it felt like to love someone from far away, and he really didn’t want anyone to experience it.

Then his mind wandered to the one thought he’d been fearing.

_What if the secret admirer was a girl?_

Will would have to reject her.

And while doing that, he’d have to come out too.

That thought terrified him.

Sure, he’d come out to his mom and his brother, and they’d been nothing but supportive to him, but that was different.

He didn’t even know if he could come out to his best friends without losing them.

Well, if it did end up being a girl, he would find out.

That was also why the new phone case was still lying on his nightstand, and why he’d been changing the topic whenever one of his friends asked about it.

If it were a boy, then maybe he could learn to like them back. But if it were a girl, he couldn’t bear to use it, because he could never return the feeling.

 

Despite all those thoughts plaguing his mind, the last thing Will thought about before drifting off was how the secret admirer planned to give him a gift the next day, seeing how they couldn’t exactly use the same trick anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you like this chapter, and this entire fic so far? Let me know in the comment section below.
> 
> Did you find any easter eggs? I certainly hope you've found a few :)
> 
> Also, what do you think will happen tomorrow? Where do you think things will go? Feel free to discuss all that


	3. Sunday, December 2nd

It had taken Will a couple of minutes for yesterday’s events to come back to him.

At first, he had woken up, feeling nervous and excited, without knowing why he’d felt that way.

He had spent five whole minutes staring at the ceiling, at first trying to calm himself down, and when that hadn’t worked, to find an explanation for this behavior of his body.

As he decided to give up and just get out of bed with the uneasy feeling following him, his eyes landed on the phone case he’d placed on the nightstand, and everything fell into place.

The envelope.

The letters.

His secret admirer.

Everything still felt so unreal to him.

Will couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the thought of getting another gift.

He immediately felt guilty.

This was ridiculous.

He shouldn’t be expecting presents from a stranger.

He was definitely taught better than that.

Plus, there was a huge chance that he couldn’t reciprocate their feelings anyway.

Will sighed and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom and trying not to dwell on that particular topic.

 

~~******** ******* ********~~

 

“—and we were thinking that, since the last day before the holiday is on the 21st, we can all go on a road trip to New York that weekend,” Will animatedly told his mom about their plan from across the dining table. “Mrs. Wheeler also called her friends in New York, and they allowed us to stay in their apartment, as long as we make sure everything is where they’re supposed to be when we leave”.

He had barely been able to contain his excitement when his mom had come home last night. The boy had immediately gushed about his newly made plan with his friends, assuring her that he would be fine, and that she could focus on her vacation with Jim. However, because they didn’t have a detailed plan yet, seeing how the boys (mainly Mike, Dustin, and him) hadn’t had time to talk to their parents, they had agreed to talk later at night to discuss more.

Which now he was eagerly filling his mom in on.

“I guess it’s settled then, you’re going to New York,” Joyce chuckled. “Are you excited?”

“Am _I_ excited? Are _you_?” Will laughed. “You’re about to go on your first holiday trip in years, and with Jim of all people. I’m surprised he hasn’t moved in already”.

“You can stop with the wisecracking, mister,” his mom chided playfully. “I won’t be going with him alone, you know. Jane and Max are going to be there as well”.

“Wait,” Will’s eyes widened, “ _Max_ is going to be there?”

“Oh, yeah, I was a little surprised, too,” Joyce smiled softly. “Apparently Jane had managed to convince Jim to let Max tag along. I think it’s great. They will have each other to keep them company, and I think a little break from Hawkins can be beneficial for Max as well”.

“I suppose you’re right,” Will chuckled. He had been a little selfish, not thinking about how Jane wouldn’t have any friends with her if he didn’t come along. Luckily, Max was there to save the day.

“Oh, by the way, honey,” his mom said as she stood up and walked to the kitchen counter. “Someone left this for you on the front porch,” she said and handed him a small package in crimson red wrapping with blue polka dots — the exact same kind of wrapping from the previous gift.

And attached to it was another red envelope with his name on it.

How had he missed that earlier?

His heartbeat quickened as he tried to act nonchalant about the package.

“Oh? W-When did you find it?” He asked.

“A little after six, I guess?” Joyce frowned. “I saw it when I went outside earlier. Is something wrong, dear?”

“Uh, no, mom,” Will quickly gave her a smile. “Everything is great. Have a nice day at work, mom”. He waved at her and ignored her puzzled look as he took the gift and immediately headed to his room.

A little after six.

How early must his secret admirer have woken up to put today’s gift there before then?

How much thought and effort did they put in this… thing they were doing?

Apparently, a lot, because there was another note in the envelope.

  

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_Did you like yesterday’s gift? Was it a little too much?_ **
> 
> **_I couldn’t help but notice the old phone case you have been using. I’m not sure if you use it because it has some emotional value, or you just don’t have the time to go pick a new one._ **
> 
> **_Anyway, I wanted to get you a new case, but nothing in the store looks anything remotely ‘you’, so I took the liberty to make you one._ **
> 
> **_Hope I didn’t cross any line there._ **
> 
> **_Anyway, have a nice 2nd of December. I hope you like today’s gift as well._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

So he was right.

The phone case was handmade.

Which made it undoubtedly priceless in Will’s mind.

For someone to go through all this trouble for him.

He sighed and looked at his desk, where he’d put the gift earlier.

 

~~******** ******* ********~~

 

“Will you _please_ just open it already?” Dustin groaned from the windowsill after about ten minutes of watching him staring at the package.

The boy had arrived half an hour after Will had finished his breakfast and invited himself in by climbing his window, which all of his friends knew was never locked, only to find him sitting on the bed with his eyes fixed on today’s gift.

“But Dustin,” Will sighed, “it’s just too much pressure”.

“It’s a present, Will,” his friend rolled his eyes. “P-r-e-s-e-n-t. What do you think it’ll be? A bomb?” The curly-haired boy sighed and walked to Will’s bed, plopping down carelessly. “Whatever, man. Mike and Lucas are gonna be here any minute now, and I doubt you’ll wait for us to leave before opening that”.

Will, of course, knew Dustin was right.

Despite feeling incredibly nervous about this secret admirer, he also felt extremely curious about the gift.

If he didn’t open it now, then as soon as Mike arrived, he would be calm enough to do it anyway.

Mike had that weird effect on him.

His oldest friend had always managed to calm him down, even when nobody else could.

He’d already felt calmer by thinking about him.

“Alright, I’m opening it,” Will sighed.

Dustin immediately shot him a wide grin before hopping off the bed and grabbing the wrapped gift, handing it to Will in excitement.

Whatever it was, it was soft and didn’t have a form.

Like… some sort of clothing?

Oh, god.

What if it was a Weasley-style handmade sweater?

What was he supposed to do if that happened?

He slowly undid the tapes, once again trying not to damage the wrapping.

He didn’t know what he’d do with them yet, but he didn’t want to damage them any more than necessary.

Inside…

...was a blanket.

Will looked at it doe-eyed.

It was a Christmas blanket, the colors made that pretty obvious — red and green stripes running across the surface with small icy blue snowflakes on top.

And it was just _so_ soft and warm.

He loved it.

The small boy carefully picked up the blanket, letting his fingers stroke the fabric gently before bringing it to his cheek.

“I told you guys you wouldn’t miss it,” Dustin’s booming voice snapped Will out of his trance, and he jumped as the boy reemerged from the door with his two other best friends.

“Well, I didn’t think he would literally take his time like that,” Mike chuckled.

“Mike! Lucas! When did you guys—” Will said, trying to slow his heartbeat and stop the blush on his face from getting worse.

“Only two minutes ago,” Lucas grinned. “Dustin let us in because he didn’t think you’d want to be distracted from staring at your gift”.

“Guys, give him a break,” Mike chided his friends halfheartedly. “If I had a secret admirer, I know I would take my time, too”.

“But you don’t understand,” Dustin whined. “He’s been staring at that package for an hour since I got here”.

“You got here fifteen minutes ago,” Lucas corrected. “Stop being a drama queen”.

“Can you guys stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Will asked embarrassedly.

The three abruptly stopped their conversation to look at him before they all chuckled softly and approached Will. Lucas and Dustin sat down on the floor in front of him, while Mike sat next to him on the bed.

“Sorry, Will,” his tallest friend said softly. “Just that, our phones had been buzzing non-stop the entire ride here because _a certain someone_ kept sending updates on your progress towards opening that gift of yours.

“Well, what else was I supposed to do?” Dustin protested. “He kept staring at that thing, despite having a perfectly good Dustin Henderson no more than 5 feet away”.

“Aw, don’t tell me _little Dusty_ was jealous of a blanket,” Lucas cooed and patted his friend’s head.

“You could’ve asked me to let you read today’s note,” Will shrugged, and his friends immediately turned to him again.

“There’s a note?” Mike asked. “This secret admirer of yours sure goes all out”.

Will stood up and headed to his desk, taking the note from his drawer and passing it to his friends. “Go ahead,” he said, and the boys all gathered around Mike to read it.

Meanwhile, Will was thinking about his admirer again.

About how much time, money, and effort they’d already put in this ‘plan’, and how much more they were going to if they followed it through.

He kind of wished they would just drop it now.

But again, he kind of didn’t.

“Well, like Mike said, this secret admirer of yours sure goes all out,” Lucas chuckled as the three finished reading and passed the note back to Will, so he could put it away again.

“Are you thinking about who it might be?” Dustin asked curiously.

“There’s no point in thinking about it anyway,” Will shrugged. “I have no clue whatsoever, and they already said they would come out to me on Christmas, right?”

“But how are they planning to come out to you?” Lucas asked. “We’ll be in New York by then, after all”.

“How am I supposed to know?” Will sighed. “Maybe they will text me saying ‘Oh hi Will, I am your secret admirer by the way’”.

“Yeah… I suppose inviting you to New York really hurt this admirer’s plan,” Mike mumbled.

“Hey! I’d rather be with you guys than sitting around alone in my house waiting for a random admirer to show up at my door,” Will protested. “Plus, if I’m not going with you, I’ll join my mom anyway”.

That reminded Will…

“Oh, by the way, Lucas?” He said. “I heard from mom that Max is gonna join them on their trip to California. And you’re going to New York with us. Why are you two planning to spend the holiday literally on opposite sides of the country?” He’d wanted to ask Lucas that since breakfast. Call him mean, but he thought that, unlike Mike, Lucas didn’t have too much experience with being away from his girlfriend.

Something shifted in the air after Will’s question. Lucas tensed up a little, and he shot Mike, who also seemed to be in an awkward situation somehow, a look Will couldn’t decipher. Dustin, however, perked up and looked at the other two expectantly.

Yep. Something was definitely fishy here.

“I— Uh— Max and I…” Lucas hesitated, “we aren’t together anymore”.

Wait.

What?

“What?” Will asked incredulously. “You guys broke up? But… When and how?”

“At the end of May,” Lucas said sheepishly. “We didn’t tell anyone because we didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. We didn’t want to make you guys uncomfortable being around us”.

At the end of May.

So six whole months.

One of his best friends had broken up for six months, and he didn’t even know it.

What a wonderful friend he was.

“Why did you guys break up then?” Will asked.

“It’s nothing big, really,” Lucas sighed. “The puppy love thing wore off, and we just both realized that we had other priorities than each other, so we decided that we were better as friends”. He then gave Will a weak smile. “But you don’t have to worry. It didn’t end badly between us, and I’m sure she’s happier now wi— uh, it’s nothing”.

Wait.

What again?

“Max is already with someone else?” Will gasped. “But— When did that happen? We’ve all been sitting together at lunch. I never thought…”

“It’s okay, Will,” Lucas tried to assure him. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s around the beginning of the school year”.

“But—” Will had a million questions running through his mind right now, and he had no idea what he should ask first. “Who?”

Lucas seemed intensely interested in Will’s carpet.

“You see,” Mike cleared his throat. Of course Mike knew. He was their leader after all. Of course he’d picked up on Lucas’ situation. “It turned out that Max and Jane got along really well, after all”.

What?

“What?” Will was practically shouting now. “You mean— His ex-girlfriend, and _your_ girlfriend—”

“Yeah, we broke up in June,” Mike gulped. “Didn’t know how to bring it up in front of you guys”.

“How about starting with ‘Hey guys, I just broke up with Jane’? I think it might have done the trick,” Will rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe that both his best friends had broken up and had decided to hide it from the rest of the Party.

Well, from Dustin and him, at least.

Apparently, the two girls of the Party also knew about the other break-up.

And they’d been taking advantage of that.

“So… Max and Jane are…”

“Together?” Lucas asked. “Yeah, they are”.

Dustin couldn’t hold himself back anymore. His curly-haired friend burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, you all should’ve seen the look on your faces,” he said between fits of laughter. “I should’ve filmed the whole thing”.

“You don’t seem so surprised about this,” Mike huffed. It was simply a statement.

“Of course I’m not surprised,” Dustin grinned. “I’m not blind. I could see the girls holding hands under our table the whole time. I’ve been wondering when one of you would tell the group about it”.

“Wait,” Will’s heart was beating erratically in his chest. “The girls were… holding hands under the table?”

“Yeah, they weren’t doing a very good job at hiding it,” Lucas chuckled. “But again, I don’t think they worry about other people. They just don’t want you two to feel awkward”.

“A-And you guys are all cool with it?” Will asked bashfully.

They all looked at Will confusedly.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t we be?” Mike said.

“Yeah, I mean, if they’re happy, then we’re happy for them,” Lucas agreed.

“Hasn’t made too much of a difference these couple of months, has it?” Dustin shrugged. “Of course, things could exactly be the same if I pretended those hickeys were bruises from pillow fighting too hard”.

Mike and Lucas groaned at Dustin’s mention of the hickeys.

Will’s mind was still trying to process everything he’d learned.

Max and Jane.

They were dating.

They were holding hands under the table.

They were… giving each other hickeys.

And everyone was cool with it.

Well, everyone who mattered to him.

So, his boys and the girls.

Well…

Maybe…

Just maybe, he could tell them, and they wouldn’t treat him differently?

“G-guys?” Will gulped after a moment of thinking. “I have to tell you something,” he said weakly.

Nonetheless, the bickering immediately stopped, and everyone’s eyes were on him again.

Okay, why had he thought about doing this again?

He felt like the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

“I-I’m gay,” Will said, his voice barely above a whisper. The boy held his breath and waited for a reaction from his friends.

For the first three seconds, there were none.

Then, simultaneously, they pulled him in between them for a hug.

“We know,” Mike whispered, “and we’re very proud of you”.

“You’re perfect the way you are, Will,” Lucas agreed. “Never let anyone tell you differently”.

“If anyone has any problem with you, then they’ll have to deal with the whole Party,” Dustin added. “And we are really scary as a group”.

Will was overwhelmed by the reaction he’d received.

Surely he hadn’t expected a group hug, but he welcomed it nonetheless.

The boy closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the torso right in front of him, which happened to be Dustin’s.

“Thanks, guys,” he whispered. “That means a lot to me. You guys mean a lot to me”.

“No problem, Will,” Mike chuckled from behind him.

Someone was stroking his hair, but right now he was just focusing on being surrounded and loved by his friends.

“So, are we the first people to know?” Lucas asked, and he shook his head lightly.

“I told my mom and Jonathan, but that’s everyone so far,” he admitted.

“I don’t think the girls mind, so if you want to, you can totally tell them,” Dustin said softly.

“Yeah, you totally can,” Mike chimed in. “Lucas and I also need to tell them that you guys know,” he chuckled as their group hug started to break up. “Hopefully they won’t murder us before Christmas”.

Christmas.

Yeah, that was another thing.

Will sighed.

“And about this whole ‘secret admirer’ thing,” he said bashfully, “what if it was a girl?”

The boys’ eyes were on him for a moment before they all broke into a grin.

“Is that why you were so hesitant to open the gift earlier?” Dustin asked.

“Or why the phone case is still in your nightstand?” Lucas added.

“Or why you’ve been adamantly refusing to talk about it?” Mike chimed in.

“Yes, yes, and yes,” Will groaned. Seemed like they hadn’t missed it after all. “What if it’s a girl. There’s literally no chance for us to be together. I don’t want them to see me using their gifts, and think that there is a slight chance of us being together when there isn’t in the first place”.

The boys all went quiet for a moment, thinking about what he’d just said.

“I think it’s a boy,” Dustin said after a while.

“And how did you come to that conclusion?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“What? You want me to go all Sherlock Holmes on this? It’s just a feeling,” Dustin shrugged. “Just the way they wrote the first letter and the note. The words felt like it came from a boy. I don’t know, ask Mister AP English over there,” he gestured towards Mike. “Plus, the phone case is handmade, right? I think a girl would use some other material than spray paint”.

“So are you saying girls _can’t_ use spray paint?” Lucas crossed his arms. “Or are you saying that girls don’t have spray paint?”

“I never said that, you dipshit,” Dustin huffed. “But balance of probability. It’s more likely to be from a guy than a girl”.

“I also think it’s a guy,” Mike said, obviously trying to stop the two from bickering. “Dustin was right. The sentences sounded like they came from a boy”.

“See? Mike agrees with me,” Dustin said triumphantly. “Are you saying you think it’s a girl?”

“I never said that,” Lucas huffed. “I also think it’s a boy, but I don’t like your attitude”.

“My _attitude_ ?” Dustin said incredulously. “I’ll show _you_ attitude”.

“Guys! Can you not start this again?” Will said weakly.

“Just let them be,” Mike chuckled next to him. “We might want to avoid the bed, though. One of them is gonna throw the other on there anyway”.

Will chuckled and nodded before walking to his nightstand and picking up the phone case.

They said it was from a boy.

A boy sat down and wrote him that letter.

A boy made this phone case for him.

The thought made Will blush a little.

“I think it’s safe to assume that,” Mike’s voice rang from behind him, “whoever this boy is, he would love to see you using his phone case tomorrow at school. And I don’t think you need to worry about not being able to return his feelings either. If he really wants you to be happy, and if using this phone case makes you happy, then it’s what he’s hoping to achieve after all”.

“You really think so?” Will turned around and looked at Mike sheepishly.

“Yeah, I really do,” Mike replied with a grin. “Now, do you need help changing the case, or do you want to do it alone?”

“Are you underestimating my ability to change a phone case, Wheeler?” Will joked, already taking off the old case he’d been using.

Mike put his hands up in surrender and watched him carefully put on the new case, admiring the new look of his phone.

“Like it?” Mike asked.

“Love it,” Will answered with a wide grin.

“Man, I should’ve gotten you a new phone case,” Mike chuckled. “Only if I’d known how happy it would’ve made you”.

Will blushed at that.

Seriously, how could he _not_ fall for Mike when the boy kept saying stuff like that?

But lucky for him, he was saved from responding because there was a loud thump on his bed, followed by Dustin’s half yelling, half laughing voice. “Get off me, you son of a bitch”.

He and Mike just stood back and enjoyed Lucas pinning Dustin down and tickling him until the other boy begged for mercy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments below :)
> 
> Hope this helped with some of your concern for Mileven and Lumax :)


	4. Monday, December 3rd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone! Welcome to another chapter of this Christmas fic.
> 
> This one chapter a day is really tiring but I hope it's worth it.
> 
> Enjoy!

Will groaned as his alarm woke him up from his sleep.

It was Monday again.

School day.

Great.

He’d never been too fond of school.

Nevertheless, it was still a chance for him to see his friends, so he’d never miss a day of it if he could help it.

Well, but for today, it could be a chance for him to find his secret admirer, too.

The boy blushed slightly at the thought, and pulled up his Christmas blanket — his newest gift — to hide his face from no one in particular.

His friends had assured him over and over again yesterday that it was a boy.

Which meant he wasn’t the only boy at school who had crushes on other boys.

And he’d thought he was the only one.

Will sighed.

He knew how lonely it had been for him, not having anyone to share his thoughts.

He only hoped his secret admirer, whoever that was, had someone to confide in.

Maybe, even if he didn’t feel the same about them, they could still be friends, and he could have someone to share _everything_ with.

Because even though the boys were all accepting of him, he could never tell them that he had a crush on them.

Right when he was about to get up, there was a knock on the door.

“I’m up, mom,” he responded. “I’ll be out in a sec”.

 

~~******* ******** *******~~

 

“Morning, Will,” Lucas greeted cheerfully as Will pulled his bike up next to the bike rack. “Have you received your gift of the day yet?”

“Morning,” Will smiled at the other boy. “Where’s Mike and Dustin?” He asked. Their bikes were here, but they were nowhere to be found.

“Drama club emergency meeting,” Lucas shrugged. “Jane dragged them away like two minutes ago, and Max decided to tag along”.

Will nodded in understanding and started walking inside with Lucas. Sometimes that happened, them being in multiple clubs and all. Mike would just smile and apologize for ditching them, but Dustin would buy dessert at lunch and share it with the rest of the group to ‘make up’ for it, despite none of them asking him to.

“You still haven’t answered my question, by the way,” Lucas grinned. “Did he drop something at your door again? What is it?”

“No, he didn’t,” Will rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop the smile from forming. “He has no reason to do that anyway. We’re going to be at school, after all”.

“So, how do you think he’ll do it this time?” Lucas asked as he stopped next to Will’s locker, waiting for him to get his stuff.

“How am I supposed to know?” Will chuckled. “Maybe he’ll leave it under my table, or slip it in my bag again,” he guessed as he opened his locker.

That was when he saw it.

The familiar red wrapping.

Another small package had been carefully put in his locker, and next to it was a cream-colored note.

No envelopes this time.

“Or put it in your locker,” Lucas chuckled as he looked inside the compartment.

Slowly and carefully, as if any sudden movement would shatter everything, Will picked up the note and read it.

  

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_Did you like the blanket? I sure hope it’ll help me keep you warm this winter. And maybe the one after that, too, but I don’t know how long it can last._ **
> 
> **_When I look at it, I can’t help but imagine cuddling you under it one day._ **
> 
> **_Would you like that? I mean, if you gave me a chance, of course._ **
> 
> **_I’m being creepy now. I’ll stop._ **
> 
> **_I hope you can make use of today’s gift immediately as well._ **
> 
> **_Have a nice 3rd of December._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will’s face had turned completely red from reading the note.

His secret admirer wanted to cuddle him.

He had no idea how he should feel in this situation.

But he couldn’t help but imagine how it could be, having another boy in his bed cuddling him.

Well, whoever it was, they surely cared about him enough to do all this, not to mention prepare all those gifts for him.

He decided that he would give them a chance.

Lucas snapped him back to reality by clearing his throat, and Will passed his friend the note before picking up the gift.

It was also soft and shapeless, a little similar to the blanket from yesterday, but smaller.

There was no point in guessing anyway, so he proceeded to open it as carefully as possible.

“Well, he’s certainly bold,” Lucas chuckled and looked back at Will. “Not planning to stare at it for hours again?”

“Shush,” Will rolled his eyes. “He wants me to make use of it immediately”.

This time, it was a scarf. A simple amber and fern green scarf.

It looked nice and warm, and it put a smile on Will’s lips.

“So I’m guessing his mission is to keep you warm at all time?” Lucas asked, already helping Will put on the scarf.

“I think it’s nice,” Will said defensively as he took his books out and closed his locker. “Plus, you know I hate being cold. This is just perfect”.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t nice,” Lucas chuckled and started walking to his own locker with Will. “And it looks really cute on you, too. Matches your eyes”.

Will’s cheeks turned a nice shade of pink after that, and he had to remind himself that Lucas didn’t mean anything when he said those words — well, didn’t mean anything he wanted it to be, anyway.

He instead tried to focus on the other thing Lucas had said.

The scarf matched his eyes.

Which meant, his secret admirer either got very, _very_ lucky, or he knew Will’s eye color.

Since the guy was supposedly in love with him, he suspected it was the latter.

That should’ve narrowed down the list of people who could be his secret admirer.

And it did, actually.

To zero.

He couldn’t think of anyone, other than his family and friends, who knew his eye color.

“What do you think about this secret admirer?” Will asked. Hopefully, his friends saw something he didn’t see that gave away who it might be.

“Me?” Lucas asked, a little surprised. “I think he’s a little creepy,” the boy shrugged.

“Creepy?” Will raised an eyebrow. “Just because he wants to cuddle me?”

“I’m not talking about that,” Lucas chuckled. “I’m talking about how he’s obviously been stalking you for a while now. But I guess whether a romantic gesture works depends on how you feel about the person, and you’re kind of liking it right now”.

Will nodded and thought about what Lucas had said for a moment before turning to the boy. “You know, I think Dustin is right. You _have_ been watching a lot of romcoms lately”.

 

~~******* ******** *******~~

 

“Definitely creepy,” Mike nodded and passed the note back to Will. “And a coward as well”.

After his conversation with Lucas, Will had gone to class, and Dustin had immediately noticed the scarf. However, unlucky for Mike, they didn’t share any classes before lunch, therefore he didn’t get to read the note until now (although Will suspected that either Dustin or Lucas had already texted him about it).

“A coward? What do you mean?” Max asked from across the table.

After the conversation yesterday, Will finally noticed the little details that he’d missed before.

Like how, even though Mike still sat next to Jane, and Lucas next to Max, the two girls were obviously the ones who sat _together_. Or how, as Dustin had pointed out, they were holding hands under the table.

“Well, he _has_ been watching Will for a while, right?” Mike pointed out. “Yet he never told Will how he felt, instead choosing to hide behind words”.

“So what do you think he should’ve done?” Max rolled her eyes. “Kiss Will in the middle of the cafeteria?”

“Jane told you that?” Mike narrowed his eyes at Max.

“We tell each other everything,” Jane answered and looked at Mike unamusedly, before shooting a glance at Lucas, who suddenly was very interested in his lunch tray.

There was definitely a story behind that.

“What I’m saying is,” Mike continued, “he definitely doesn’t deserve Will if he doesn’t have the balls to ask Will out like a normal person”.

What?

 _Deserve_ him?

Wasn’t Mike being a little too biased right now?

If it was anything, Will probably didn’t deserve this secret admirer.

Someone who had gotten him a blanket and a scarf because he didn’t want Will to get cold.

“Well, he maybe is a coward, but he definitely has good taste,” Dustin grinned. “He likes Will, after all”.

Mike rolled his eyes but didn’t object, and neither did anyone else.

Which turned Will’s face into a nice crimson color.

Good taste? Just because this guy liked him?

These guys needed to stop putting him on a pedestal.

He was just Will. He was no one special.

In fact, he was far from being a good choice, what with all the things he’d been through damaging him beyond repair.

Will was still terrified of the cold, and sometimes he had trouble sleeping.

Well, most of the time.

Since he didn’t really like the dark either.

Lost in thought, Will didn’t realize he’d zoned out until Lucas turned to him expectantly.

“What?” He blinked before biting his lips bashfully. “I zoned out. Sorry”.

“It’s alright,” Lucas chuckled. “Dustin and I were thinking about having a picnic after school at the quarry, but Mike suddenly chose to be responsible and said it was too cold for that. What do you think?”

“We can take my car if Mike adamantly refuses to come, but it’s gonna happen with or without you, dude”.

“Well, you can take Lucas, then,” Mike huffed. “Will and I can spend some quality time together somewhere _cozy_ ”.

Will’s face turned red again.

Why did Mike have to put it that way?

He knew Mike didn’t mean it like _that_ , but his heart couldn’t help but flutter at the thought of them spending time cuddling and watching Christmas movies.

“Hey! No fair! I want to spend quality time alone with Will, too,” Dustin protested, and Will was pretty sure all his blood had gone to his head now.

Why did Dustin have to say it like that too?

Did neither of them realize how it sounded?

“G-Guys,” Will cleared his throat. “A picnic sounds nice. And if you guys want some… uh… _quality time_ , I’m sure I can spend some time alone with you some other day, too”.

“Hey! What about me?” Lucas protested. “If they both get some time alone with you, then I want it too”.

Will inwardly facepalmed. These guys sometimes acted like they were kindergarteners.

“Okay, okay,” he sighed. “I will spend a day alone with each of you, if it makes you stop fighting over this”. And let anywhere other than his face have some blood as well. He suspected his face was hot enough to cause climate change now.

“So, Will is in on the picnic,” Dustin said triumphantly. “Last chance to change your mind, Wheeler”.

“Ugh, fine,” Mike groaned. “But I’m doing this because you all need a babysitter”.

“Oh, calling _us_ babies, now?” Dustin chuckled. “Should we call you ‘daddy’ then?”

“Dustin!” Lucas groaned.

 

~~******* ******** *******~~

 

“Just admit it already, this is nice,” Dustin closed his eyes and quietly said it for the umpteenth time.

“Of course it’s nice _for you_ ,” Mike huffed. “You’re lying on my lap”.

After school, they all had briefly come home to drop off their bags and to get some snacks (or, in Dustin’s case, half his snack stash), some blankets, and in Will’s case, his worn out sketchbook, before Mike had driven them all to the quarry.

The quarry had never been the most beautiful place — not in the summer and certainly not when winter was about to come, but there was still something majestic about it to Will, and he found himself there quite often, trying to convey the majestic view he saw into his drawings. But not too often though, since even if the boys never admitted it, he knew they didn’t see the quarry as a view worth drawing, but rather the place where his body was pulled out of the water.

“Well, it’s your fault for being the most comfortable to lie on,” Dustin retorted. “But I can always move to Will. He’s a great option too, you know”.

It was true. The first part, at least. Despite being the boniest among them, hence theoretically the most uncomfortable, Mike wasn’t half bad. Plus, his hands never seemed to stay still, and as soon as someone laid down on him, he would play with their hair.

Which was what was happening on Will’s right at the moment — Lucas and Dustin on both sides of Mike’s lap, with Mike’s hands running through their hair. Lucas had dozed off a few minutes ago, and Will would bet anything that Dustin wouldn’t last five more in this state.

“Stay right here,” Mike warned, even though Dustin hadn’t moved a muscle. “Don’t disturb him when he’s drawing”.

“You guys know I can still listen to you, right?” Will chuckled. “I’m done, anyway. And if you two keep talking, you’re gonna wake Lucas up, so Dustin can come over here”.

“I’m already up,” Lucas yawned. “Can’t really sleep with these two right next to your ears”.

“Me?” Mike asked incredulously. “What about _you_ and him? I haven’t had a break for a single day since you two met each other”.

“Give _me_ a break,” Dustin huffed. “You guys literally started this on your own. How is it that I’m worse than either of you?”

Will smiled softly at the boys. To him, these bickerings were the closest any of them would get to saying they love each other in a non-joking way.

That was another strange thing he’d noticed.

None of them had any problems declaring their feelings for him, yet they all wanted to act like they merely tolerated the others.

He wanted to ask them that if they could barely stand each other, why staying in that position, with Lucas and Dustin on Mike’s lap and Mike’s hands running through their hair, but they might actually stop doing that if he pointed it out, so he didn’t.

He also didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he was sitting alone, even though he knew they only left him out because he was drawing earlier, and that if he had asked, any of them would’ve gladly switched place with him.

And another thing. He didn’t know who he’d rather switch place with. He wanted to lie down and let Mike’s fingers run through his hair, but he wanted to play with Dustin’s soft and curly hair as well. Not to mention that cuddling Lucas wouldn’t be a half bad idea either, in his opinion.

All those, and yet he still managed to somehow had a slight crush on the one who wrote him notes and gave him gifts every day.

Would it make him a bad person if he fell for this unknown admirer? He didn’t want to be someone who fell for fancy gifts, but he didn’t think of anything he’d received as ‘fancy’. To him, the gifts and the notes showed how deeply this admirer had been paying attention to him, and had been putting his efforts into each and every single one of them. _That_ was what he was falling for.

Will looked down at the drawing he’d just finished and smiled.

It was the quarry, but it wasn’t the quarry.

Well, it _was_ the quarry, and he’d been using this quarry as a reference, but it was the quarry from years ago.

He’d drawn the quarry in that summer before he’d gone missing, with the four of them playing in the water.

Before the upside down, that had happened a lot. However, since the incident, with his mom’s overprotectiveness, the two new Party members, and with them growing up, they never really did that anymore.

“That was a fun time,” Lucas chuckled softly next to him, nearly making him jump. Somehow the boy had already sat down next to him and he hadn’t even noticed.

“Lucas!” Will’s hand flew to his chest. “Don’t scare me like that”.

“I wouldn’t call _that_ scaring you,” Lucas grinned and scooted a little closer. “After all, I had to get up, walk here, and sit down. You were just too lost in thought to notice all of that, but I can see why now”.

Despite his cheeks heating up, Will was glad to have an external source of heat nearby. Mike had been right when he said it was a little too cold to go to the quarry. That was why they’d all brought blankets, after all. He scooted a little closer to Lucas himself, hoping the distance was still acceptable for friends.

“Well, we never do that anymore,” Will smiled softly. “I guess I just miss having fun like that”.

“Never do what?” Dustin rolled over to look at the two of them. Even Mike had turned his head curiously.

“Will drew us playing in the water like when we were kids,” Lucas provided.

Will could literally see in Dustin’s eyes the moment the light bulb turned on, right before the boy shot up, almost headbutting Mike.

“Let’s all go do that now,” he grinned.

“What? No! Nu-uh,” Mike immediately protested. “Do you have any idea how cold it is right now?”

“But Mike!” Dustin said exasperatedly. “It’ll be like winter swimming. You know, the sport where—”

“I know very well, Dustin, and the answer is still _no_ ,” Mike huffed. “You will catch a cold, and a sick Dustin is even whinier than a normal one”.

“I am _not_ whiny,” Dustin whined. “Plus, I promise I won’t get sick”.

“You can’t possibly promise that,” Mike glared. “It’s already December, and there’s no way you’re getting in that water”.

Will had no idea where this thought came from, but Dustin’s idea was quite intriguing for him. All his life he’d been playing it safe. Maybe now was the time to be a little daring.

“I think it’s not a bad idea,” he said, and everyone’s eyes were immediately widened at him. “What? It’s like an extreme sport. We can all do it”.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Lucas asked softly. “I mean, it’s _cold_ ”.

He guessed he knew why they were all shocked to hear that. After all, Will was the last person to suggest doing anything cold-related in their group, at least since the Mindflayer. Nevertheless, he confidently nodded his head.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he smiled. “I know you’re all here, and you won’t let anything happen to me”.

“Alright, Will’s in!” Dustin said triumphantly. “Let’s go!”

“No!” Mike said incredulously. “Can’t believe you all think it’s okay to do this. Am I the only reasonable person around here?”

“But Mi—” Dustin tried.

“No buts, no promises. No means no,” Mike glared at the curly haired boy.

Of course Will knew it was probably a stupid idea, and that he was gonna regret it soon, but he really wanted to try this, and he’d prefer Mike joining them. Nevertheless, his tallest friend was very adamant about being a responsible adult to them.

That was when the idea hit him. He hadn’t done it since he was 8, and certainly hadn’t done it in front of anyone other than his mom, but it had always worked when he was a child, and he didn’t exactly have any other idea.

Will tilted his head down a little and stuck out his bottom lips, trying his best to imitate a kicked puppy. It was probably stupid for a sixteen-year-old to pout, but he was out of options.

A collective gasp could be heard from all of his friends, and he could see Mike’s eyes widened and mouth agape as he looked at Will in total surprise.

“Please, Mike,” Will pushed, “I think it’s a fun idea, and it wouldn’t be as fun if you didn’t join us”.

“Come on, man,” Lucas said. “Just once. What’s the harm in that?”

“Yeah, Mike,” Dustin said pleadingly, “how can you say no to that?”

“I—” Mike tried to think of something, but Will could see his determination slowly crumbling, so he tried to push again.

“I promise if you don’t think it’s fun, we’ll get out as soon as you say it,” he said softly.

He could see, the moment Mike’s shoulders fell, that they had won. Mike sighed and relented, nodding reluctantly.

“Fine, but for no more than fifteen minutes,” Mike said.

“Yay!” Dustin cheered and tackled Mike for a hug. “Thanks, Mike. You won’t regret it”.

Will didn’t know about that, but it was evident that Dustin wasn’t planning to stay in the water just for fifteen minutes. Lucas and Will chuckled softly and helped each other up before gathering their stuff. He was sure they’d rather clean up before going into the water than after getting out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, it would be great to hear your thoughts on this.


	5. Tuesday, December 4th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will. As usual, I hope you like what's waiting for you.

The first thing Will noticed in the morning was his mom’s hand on his forehead.

The next thing he noticed was how his throat felt like sandpaper when he swallowed.

“You slept through your alarm, honey,” Joyce said softly. “I think it’s just a cold, but you should take the day off nonetheless. I’ll call the school and Melvald, then I’ll be back with some soup for you, okay?”

“Mom,” he said, his voice cracking, “you don’t have to take a day off. You said it yourself, it’s just a cold. I’ll be fine".

“But what if it isn’t?” His mom asked. “It’s fine, Will. You shouldn’t have to stay home alone anyway".

“Mom, I’m serious,” Will tried again as he sat up. The room spun a little, but he managed not to fall back (or fall anywhere). “I’m not a baby anymore. I can take care of myself,” he smiled weakly. “I promise, if I feel worse, I will call you right away".

Joyce’s eyebrows furrowed, but Will could see that he was winning this debate.

“Alright,” his mom relented. “But I’m still making you soup before I leave for work. And promise me you’ll call me if you even _think_ it might be something other than a cold".

“Yeah, mom, I promise,” he smiled. “I’m just a little lightheaded, that’s all". He then tried to clear his throat. “Well, that and a sore throat".

“Alright, get some more rest, honey,” Joyce sighed. “I’ll be back later with some soup".

Will sighed and nodded obediently as he laid down on his bed.

This cold was probably because of yesterday.

He _had_ splashed around in freezing cold water for about half an hour with the boys, after all.

Speaking of whom, he wondered whether they were okay, or if they had also caught a cold.

Mike would say ‘I told you so’ if that were true.

Well, at least it had been fun, and he would say it’d been worth it.

He wanted to check on them, but he’d left his phone on his desk, and right now he wasn’t in the best state to leave his bed.

Maybe he would text them at lunch. Or whenever he felt good enough to walk that far.

Will also wondered what his secret admirer thought when Will didn’t show up today.

He wished he could just go to school for the gift and the note.

Maybe he could ask the boys to bring those to him after school.

 

~~******* ******* *******~~

 

Will woke up once again when a hand was placed on his forehead. He must’ve dozed off sometime after his mom had brought him the soup, and let him know that there was more on the stove.

The boy fluttered his eyes open, only to be met with the concerned eyes of one Michael Wheeler.

He must’ve gotten in through the window.

“Hey,” Mike greeted softly. “We missed you at school today. Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” Will smiled sheepishly. “Just a cold, that’s all. Did school end already?” Had he slept the whole day?

“Nah, it’s only 10,” Mike chuckled. “I just wanted to check on you. Texting didn’t work so I thought I could drop by".

Will’s eyes widened at that, and his cheeks heated up. Mike had skipped school because of him.

“You didn’t h—”

“Didn’t have to? I know,” Mike smiled. “But I wanted to. So, how are you feeling now, Cleric?”

“I’m a lot better now,” Will said softly. “You should go back to school, though".

“Nonsense,” Mike waved his hand. “I’m already here. Might as well keep you entertained for the day".

“B—”

“No buts,” Mike interrupted. “I’m gonna make you lunch. You shouldn’t be forced to leave your bed".

“My mom already made me some soup on the stove,” Will sighed and smiled softly. “I guess it’s impossible to tell you not to worry now. What do you want to do then?”

“Let’s go watch some movies in the living room,” Mike suggested with a wide grin. “We haven’t done that in ages".

“We had a Lord of the Rings marathon just before Thanksgiving,” Will chuckled. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings were the only DVDs he owned, and despite both series being among their favorites, the Party had watched them so much, they could practically recite every line by now.

“My point exactly,” Mike stuck his tongue out playfully. “Let’s go!”

 

~~******* ******* *******~~

 

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Mike asked when Dustin showed up just a little past noon, right when they had finished the first movie.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “You literally skipped school after first period. At least I had the decency to wait until lunch to tell the girls first".

“I figured you’d tell them for me anyway,” Mike shrugged. “Does this mean that Lucas is also coming?”

“Nah,” Dustin shook his head. “He said, and I quote, ‘if you really care about Will, you should stay here and get his notes for him’".

“And you still left?” Mike raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t suppose you need two sets of identical notes, do you, Will?” Dustin turned to Will with a grin.

“I— Uh…” Will blinked, still trying to process the fact that two of his best friends skipped school because he had a cold. “Dustin, why are you here? I mean, I’m glad to see you, but neither of you has to skip school for me, you know".

Dustin chuckled and opened his backpack. “I’m here because I figured you’d want to see these as soon as possible,” he said and took out a packet in familiar red wrapping, and a cream-colored note.

For a very brief moment, Will’s heart felt like it had stopped beating.

Was Dustin his secret admirer?

“Didn’t think you’d like to leave this in your locker until tomorrow, so I decided to check it for you,” Dustin explained. “Don’t worry, I didn’t read the note".

Yeah.

That made more sense.

Plus, the handwriting didn’t look like any of his friends’. He already knew that.

“Thanks a lot, Dustin,” Will gave his friend a soft smile as he took the package carefully.

As it had always been the case, he opened the note first.

  

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I hope you like the scarf. I figured since you’re not going to bring the blanket to school anyway, you’ll also need something like that._ **
> 
> **_The scarf made me think of you immediately because its color matches your eyes._ **
> 
> **_Whenever I look into your eyes, I feel like I’ve found the doorway to another world. Those beautiful hazel eyes hold all the galaxies in our universe and every other universe._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift is a little… unusual._ **
> 
> **_I hope it won’t make me come across as anything bad._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 4th of December._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his lips, as his face turned red.

So his secret admirer really did know his eye color.

He couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy.

Apparently, his secret admirer had been staring into his eyes for hours, and yet Will still had no idea who that was.

He sighed and passed the note over to Dustin and Mike before picking up the gift, well aware that the boys had been watching his reaction the whole time.

This time, the gift was a rectangular box, big enough to just barely fit inside Dustin’s backpack.

It was supposed to be unusual.

But he had no idea in what way.

A brick could be called an unusual gift, but he was fairly sure that this wasn’t it.

Deciding that he couldn’t guess anyway, Will focused on unwrapping the present as carefully as possible.

“Oh. My. God,” Dustin whispered.

“Is this guy serious? Wow, that’s—” Even Mike didn’t have a word to describe.

It was a camera.

An instant camera, to be exact.

He had always wanted one.

But he’d never told anyone about it.

He hadn’t had a photo of him and his friends in years. Drawings, yes. Lots of them. But not photos.

Of course, they could just take photos on their phones, but then they’d have to print it out, and somehow that just wasn’t the same anymore.

“This must’ve cost like a hundred bucks,” Mike said.

“You’re close,” Dustin shrugged. “$87.95 on Amazon,” he provided, as if he was reading from a catalog.

“How did you even know that?” Mike furrowed his brows.

“I did my research for Black Friday,” the other boy grinned.

“Oh yeah? Did you buy anything, then?” Mike asked.

“Nah,” Dustin shrugged. “One Dustin Henderson couldn’t compete with 50 people".

“Should’ve gone on amazon then,” Mike chuckled. “Anyway, Will, are you back with us yet?”

“What? Uh, I— Uh, yeah, I just—” Will stammered, “this is just a lot, that’s all".

“Yeah, he’s definitely trying to bribe you,” Mike huffed. “Don’t let him get what he wants".

So that was why he was afraid he’d come across as bad.

“Oh, just chill, Mike,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “You always act like this towards new people. This guy likes Will. Give him a chance".

“Maybe I should return this to him when he comes out to me,” Will said sheepishly.

“Nah, I don’t think that’ll work,” Dustin shook his head. “This is, what, the fourth day? So you’ll have to wait for 3 more weeks to return this to him. Not to mention that he probably bought this way before yesterday, so I don’t think he can return it anymore. Plus, giving it to you _this_ early means that he probably hopes you’ll use it before you meet him, whether you want to be with him or not".

“How did you get all that from nothing?” Mike asked disbelievingly.

“Oh, don’t you know? I’m the Sherlock Holmes of Hawkins. I’m the smartest person around here,” Dustin flashed the paladin a grin before turning back to Will. “The point is, do you like it? He did say he just wanted you to be happy".

“L-Like it?” Will asked incredulously. “I love it. But it’s still too much".

“Yeah, I agree,” Dustin chuckled. “But I don’t think you can give it back to him".

Will sighed and nodded.

God.

This guy.

It was only day 4 and he already went all out.

This guy definitely thought too much of him.

He just hoped the guy wouldn’t be disappointed in him when they met.

“Anyway, what were you guys doing before I got here?” Dustin asked.

“We just finished A New Hope,” Mike shrugged. “Empire Strikes Back is next".

“Seriously?” Dustin chuckled. “It’s Tuesday, and you’re having a Star Wars marathon?”

“You’re welcome to go back to school,” Mike gave Dustin an innocent smile.

“Nu-uh, no way,” Dustin shook his head. “I’m staying here. You guys are done playing doctor alone".

Will’s face immediately turned red at that.

“I— Wha— Dustin!” He said exasperatedly.

Dustin just chuckled and pulled him down on the couch while Mike went to put the second DVD in, and Will inwardly prayed that he could act nonchalant about this.

It was easier to keep distance if he was watching movies with either Mike, Lucas, or Dustin.

But when there was more than one person, somehow he always ended up in the middle, with the others extremely close to him.

That did not help Will whatsoever with controlling his feelings for the boys.

 

~~******* ******* *******~~

 

“You both are impossible,” Lucas exclaimed as he walked into the Byers’ living room and threw his backpack on the floor.

“Well, afternoon to you, too, Lucas,” Dustin rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying, since only Will has a good reason to not be at school today, only he gets the notes,” Lucas huffed. “You two are on your own".

Will chuckled softly as Mike and Dustin started protesting. He knew Lucas’ threat was just that — a threat. The boy had probably even asked to borrow notes from the classes he didn’t share with them.

Nevertheless, he let Lucas enjoy tormenting Dustin and Mike for a bit and went back to checking out his new camera.

His secret admirer had even included several film packs for him.

How thoughtful.

He’d gone through the manual twice, and was now fairly confident that he knew everything about the camera.

Well, everything other than how the photos would look like.

Chuckling softly, Will held up the camera and tried to secretly take a picture of the boys bickering.

Keyword: _tried_.

He forgot about the flash.

His friends immediately turned towards him, and Lucas’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my god, he gave you a camera?” The boy asked disbelievingly. “Man, I wish _I_ had one".

“Find yourself a secret admirer, then,” Mike snickered.

“Puh-lease,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “I bet even if I had a secret admirer, they wouldn’t go _that_ big. Will is just special".

“You bet he is,” Lucas chuckled. “Can I see the note?”

Will smiled softly and handed Lucas the note while waiting for the image to appear. “I just wanted to try it out,” he said sheepishly.

“Don’t worry, we don’t mind,” Mike smiled softly. “As long as you’re enjoying yourself".

“Yeah,” Dustin agreed. “It should be an honor, you deeming us worthy enough to take photos of,” he said theatrically.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Will chuckled, but he couldn’t stop the blush from appearing on his cheeks. “You’re my best friends. Of course I’m gonna take tons of photos of you".

“Photoshoot session?” Dustin asked, only to be swatted in the head by Lucas.

“Don’t be an idiot,” he chided, “This camera takes film. We can’t just take pictures of anything and everything".

“Why not?” Will asked, surprising Lucas. “I mean, it’s my camera now, right? And I want to have a lot of pictures of us, so why not?” He shrugged. “It’s not like we’re gonna actually take a bunch of photos, but I’d like to have more than just this one,” he waved around the photo he’d taken earlier, which had now appeared rather nicely.

“He has a point,” Mike chuckled before turning to Will. “But one condition. You take pictures of us, we buy the film". The boy held up a finger when Will was about to protest. “Nope. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it. Plus, I wouldn’t mind keeping some of the photos, and this would only be fair".

“He’s right,” Lucas grinned. “You bring the camera, we bring the film, and we all get to keep the photos".

Will looked around, and it was apparent that Dustin was also on board with the deal. He sighed in defeat. “I didn’t buy this camera, though".

“It’s still yours, and you risk damaging it by bringing it near Dustin,” Mike said, immediately earning himself an elbow on the side from the curly haired boy.

“Watch it, asshole,” Dustin huffed. “You are definitely a bigger risk since your lanky ass can be tripped anytime".

“I don’t trip easily,” Mike protested, and Will could see that mischievous gleam in Dustin’s eyes right before he pushed and pinned Mike down the sofa, leaving the paladin stunned in shock.

“Come again?” Dustin chuckled.

“You tripped me. That was different,” Mike scoffed and pushed the curly haired boy off him.

“Only because you’re so easily tripped,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “Try doing that to me or Lucas".

“I was unprepared,” Mike protested. “You’re both prepared now, so how am I supposed to do that?”

“I bet you wouldn’t be able to do it even if you caught us off guard".

As the two started bickering again, Will waited for the new photo to appear.

He’d taken one of that brief moment when Dustin held Mike down. Without the flash, neither boys noticed him this time.

It was an adorable photo as well.

Although not evident, he could still spot Mike’s surprised look in the small photo.

“Wow, nice,” Lucas chuckled when he looked over Will’s shoulder. “Didn’t know you could be so sneaky".

Will shrugged at the remark. “It was a cute moment. I would’ve taken tons of these if I’d had this earlier".

“What was a cute moment?” Mike and Dustin asked simultaneously. Apparently, the bickering had stopped.

“You guys pinning each other down,” Lucas snickered.

“What? No! Throw it away,” Mike shouted.

“No, don’t. Keep it,” Dustin grinned and hugged Mike from behind, preventing him from approaching Will and the photo.

“I swear to god, Dustin, if you don’t let go,” Mike warned.

“You’ll fall on top of me?” Dustin snickered.

“Did you have to put up with this the whole day?” Lucas groaned and turned to Will.

“Not really,” Will shrugged. “We watched the original Star Wars trilogy, so they were quiet".

“Still can’t believe I didn’t get to hang out with you,” Lucas huffed.

Will rolled his eyes. They kept acting like hanging out with him was the best thing they could do. “Don’t w—”

“It was your choice not to join us,” Dustin grinned.

“And what good were either of you to Will coming here?” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“I came to check up on him,” Mike protested.

“I brought him the gift from his secret admirer,” Dustin said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You should’ve seen the way he lit up seeing that".

“You could’ve brought him that after school as well,” Lucas pointed out.

“Then he wouldn’t have the time to learn how to use it, and there wouldn’t be a picture of Mike having his ass handed to him by me".

“Fuck you, Dustin,” Mike scoffed. “I was caught off guard. Try it again if you dare".

“So eager to lose again, Wheeler?” Dustin smirked.

“Okay, that’s it!” Lucas groaned. “Will, remember our conversation yesterday about having some alone time together? I want to take you up on that this Saturday".

All eyes were on Lucas in an instant.

Will also couldn’t help but blushed a little, because the way Lucas had said it, it was almost like he had asked Will out on a date, and he had to keep reminding himself that they were just gonna have some non-romantic quiet time together as friends.

“Hey, no fair! I asked for some alone time, too,” Dustin protested.

“Well, too bad. First come first serve,” Lucas shot back. “Take him out on Sunday, then".

“Right after you’ve tired him out, and on a school night no less? Yeah, nice try, Lucas,” Dustin glared.

Will’s face was doing a very good imitation of a tomato.

Did Dustin always have to phrase things like that?

Apparently so.

“Guys,” Will sighed, trying to stop the bickering. He _had_ said they could all spend alone time with him, after all. “I would love to, Lucas. And Dustin, we can spend some time together next Saturday? And,” he turned to Mike sheepishly, “if you still want that as well, we can do it the Saturday after that? We can all leave for New York on Sunday instead".

“Of course I want that,” Mike flashed him a smile that could light up the whole town. “It’s a deal".

“Aw, but I want an extra day to see New York,” Dustin whined.

“Give me your Saturday, then,” Mike raised an eyebrow. “You just want to take away my day".

“But you already had this entire morning alone with him,” Dustin protested.

“He was sick!” Mike said incredulously. “That didn’t count".

“You two were snuggling up watching movies,” Dustin huffed.

Lucas groaned frustratedly.

Will chuckled.

These boys were idiots.

But he wouldn’t trade them for anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still want to hear your thought on this chapter, so feel free to leave a comment below :)


	6. Wednesday, December 5th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> I'm a little late today, but hopefully you're still interested in this fic.

Unlike yesterday, Will had been up since before 6am and had been sitting at his desk.

His cold had been gone by the time his mom had gotten home last night, so he didn’t expect to have another day off.

He didn’t want to, either, since he knew his friends would show up at his door before noon again if he did, and while that was very sweet of them, he didn’t want anyone to skip school because of him.

So he had about an hour left before he inevitably had to prepare for school.

Which should’ve been enough time for Will to finish what he was doing.

But it probably wouldn’t.

He’d been going through the photos they had taken yesterday, trying to figure out how he wanted them in his room.

There were around 10 of them.

Will had managed to take a photo of each of his friends alone, and they had taken one of him as well.

There was also a photo of all four of them, thanks to the brilliant invention of self-timer.

And more photos of the boys just being adorable idiots.

He definitely wanted to find a more special place for them than his desk drawer.

He’d thought about taping each photo on a string and hanging them from the ceiling.

However, with his height disadvantage, that would be an extremely difficult task, so he quickly gave up that thought.

But the idea of utilizing strings to decorate his room was rather intriguing.

Maybe he’d just hang them on a string across his room, using some wooden clothespins.

That would be nice, and would give his room a more vintage look.

Not to mention, it would be easier to add new photos or change the order of them.

And obviously, he’d have more photos he wanted to add.

Not just of him and the boys, but of his family, too.

His mom and Jonathan definitely deserved several spots in this new decoration plan.

And the girls as well, since they were also two of the closest people to him.

And of his secret admirer, too.

He would probably save his admirer a spot in the center of everything, since it literally wouldn’t be possible for him to plan all this without the very pricey camera.

Will sighed.

Just when he thought his secret admirer had already gone all out, the guy went and did something like this.

He briefly thought about bringing the camera to school today, so the secret admirer would know he liked it, but quickly shot that down.

It was more likely that the bullies would target him and break the camera.

If he hadn’t been sick yesterday, and if he had opened the present at school, that probably would have happened.

So he guessed it was also kind of a good thing that he got sick, and that Dustin brought everything to him.

He smiled softly and stood up to stretch his muscles, quietly thanking anyone who listened for giving him such wonderful friends.

 

~~******* ****** *******~~

 

“—so if you guys are free, we can always come by my house, or anyone’s, and just have fun? I’ll bring the camera,” Will suggested to the girls as they all walked inside the school.

This morning, he was greeted by most of the Party when he arrived at the bike rack. The only one missing was Dustin — the boy had to deal with the wrath of his mythology club for missing their meeting.

“Yeah the whole Party hasn’t hung out since Black Friday,” Lucas pointed out.

It was true. They had been so busy with school work, and the whole _girls’ weekend_ thing was non-negotiable, unless there were some big events going on, so they hadn’t been spending a lot of time out of school doing something fun.

“We’d love to, but we were thinking about going shopping for California,” Jane smiled sadly at him.

“When are you guys leaving, by the way?” Mike asked.

“Friday, the 14th,” Max provided with a wide grin. “We’re gonna have to miss a week of school, but we have both promised to keep up with everything, so I expect you guys to help us with that. You guys are the brains of the Party, after all”.

“Is that a compliment, Max?” Mike smirked.

“Whatever,” Max rolled her eyes. “I have no problem admitting that you guys are smarter than us. We’re still the brawns and the beauty, and it’s still more than enough”.

“And what makes you think we’re gonna agree to help you?” Mike raised an eyebrow.

Will noticed Lucas discreetly pulling on Mike’s shirt, but before his tallest friend got the chance to react, Max smirked victoriously. “Because, Michael, Jane and I tell each other _everything_ ,” she said, stressing on the word ‘everything’.

Mike’s eye twitched, but he didn’t fight back. Lucas just shook his head and sighed.

That was one of the things he shouldn’t be thinking about, and one of the things he couldn’t help but think about. The girls knew some of Mike and Lucas’ secrets, the kind big enough to make them do something they didn’t want to (which, in Mike’s case, was to lose a debate against Max). Of course, he knew they all had secrets — he had a few of his own that he’d never tell any of the boys, and when you dated someone, you knew things about them that you didn’t before, yet he still wished he knew what those secrets were.

“Will?” Lucas’ voice snapped him back to reality, and he realized that they’d reached his locker.

“I bet he’s thinking about today’s present,” Mike chuckled, and Will’s cheeks heated up a little.

He really wanted to say ‘no, I was thinking about you, so you owe me 5 bucks’.

Well, that would never happen.

Also, it wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about today’s note and gift. He’d thought about those non-stop ever since he’d woken up. But as he walked next to Mike and Lucas, his mind was provided with something else to think about.

“Guys, don’t make a big deal of it,” Will sighed. “I’m sure it’s…”

What? Awesome? The best present in the world?

Way to _not_ make a big deal of it.

He shook his head and decided to just open his locker.

As expected, inside his locker was another note and a package in red wrapping.

A smile was already on his lips when he reached for the note. 

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I hope you’re okay. I was really worried yesterday when I didn’t see you at school. But I guess you did get the present and the note, after all._ **
> 
> **_I hope you didn’t find the camera ‘too much’._ **
> 
> **_Oh, who am I kidding, of course you did. You’re just that great._ **
> 
> **_I assure you that I want you to have that, and there’s absolutely nothing you can say or do that will make me want to take it back._ **
> 
> **_A picture is worth a thousand words. You’re an excellent artist, I have no doubt the stories your photos tell are priceless._ **
> 
> **_I hope you feel better today, but in case you don’t, I hope this present finds its way to your hand._ **
> 
> **_Have a sweet December 5th, my love._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will hadn’t told anyone, but on Monday, he’d made a promise to himself that he would get to that point where he would stop blushing after reading the note from his secret admirer.

And obviously, that wasn’t the case today.

‘My love’? He wasn’t sure if he could ever _not_ blush when someone called him that.

Also, now he knew his secret admirer hadn’t prepared all these notes in advance.

Or he might be a clairvoyant and knew Will would be sick. But he wouldn’t bet on it.

That also meant the admirer had checked his closet to see if yesterday’s note and gift were still there.

Maybe he did that after school. Or maybe he did it this morning and had just written the note no more than an hour ago.

Which meant if he’d gotten to school earlier, he would’ve seen him.

Well, that was still the case if his admirer hadn’t just written it, since he’d still have to drop his present off, but at least if he stayed to write, Will would have a bigger window of opportunity to meet him.

But did Will want to meet him?

Well, of course he did, but did he want to ruin his secret admirer’s plan by meeting him before Christmas Day?

“Does he always get like that?” Max asked.

“Every single time,” Mike chuckled. “He always lights up like a Christmas tree, and if he wants to shu—”

Will handed Mike the note, effectively shutting him up before turning to the gift.

If he had to describe it, he would say it looked like a giant Christmas Hershey’s Kiss.

The admirer also didn’t leave any hint about it this time, so he thought it could be anything.

He briefly wondered how his admirer even managed to get it inside his locker without drawing attention to himself, and how he’d plan to do it for the next 20 days.

When he finally managed to open the gift, Will couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. “Oh my god,” he smiled. His admirer _had_ left him some clues, after all.

“Sweet day, indeed,” Lucas whispered as he looked inside the package.

His secret admirer had sent him an assortment of candies.

There was all kind of chocolates, fruit-flavored candies, and there were sour candies as well.

Will guessed technically they were still called ‘sweet’.

“Well, he’s lucky you’re here,” Jane hummed. “Who knows whether you’d have any left if Dustin was bringing this to you again. I think he’d be able to tell what it was without opening it”.

Will frowned a little. Jane was joking, he knew that. But he couldn’t help but feel like there was something odd about it.

 

~~******* ****** *******~~

 

“Can I _please_ get a Kiss?” Dustin gave Will a pleading look for the fifth time that lunch.

“For the last time, Dustin, you can’t ask him that,” Lucas groaned. “It’s Will’s candy. His secret admirer gave it to him and him only. Stop trying to— Mike! I saw that!”

Mike smirked as he quickly stole some food from Lucas.

“Don’t think I won’t stab you with my fork, Wheeler,” Lucas threatened.

“Don’t think I won’t fight back, Sinclair,” Mike held up his own fork. “En garde!”

Will could only chuckle.

Every time the Sinclairs made spaghetti bolognese for dinner, they always made enough for Lucas to bring for lunch the next day. And since it was Mike’s favorite dish that Lucas’ mom made, he always tried to take a bite or two. Or ten. It just so happened that every time Lucas brought spaghetti bolognese, he’d sit down next to Mike. Coincidentally, the boy always seemed to bring way too much food for just one person. But what Will loved the most was how Lucas always seemed to find a reason to position his lunch box a little closer to Mike than it could’ve been — usually by putting something on the table.

Will turned around to be met with Dustin’s puppy eyes, and he inwardly cursed himself.

He had already decided to share the sweets with his friends, but he’d planned to do that after school and not during lunch.

“Dustin,” Will sighed. “I don’t even have them with me right now,” he reminded the curly-haired boy.

He’d decided that bringing a package full of candy to each of his class, and to lunch, was a stupid thing. Aside from drawing too much attention to himself, he’d also risk crushing everything inside, so he’d left it in his locker.

“I know that, but can I have one later,” Dustin pleaded. “I know it’s yours, but it’s not like you’re gonna finish them all on your own”.

“Fine,” Will chuckled. “I was gonna let you guys help me with it after school anyway”.

“Oh my god, Will, you’re the best!” Dustin exclaimed before wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in for a hug.

Will’s breath hitched, especially when he thought he could feel the ghost of Dustin’s soft lips on the bare skin of his neck.

Maybe he had imagined it. Or maybe it was accidental. Either way, his heart shouldn’t be beating this fast.

“Well, at least now we’re sure your gift will get to your house safely,” Mike grinned, the sauce on his lips suggesting that he’d succeeded in stealing several more bites from Lucas.

“Yeah, we all know Dustin wouldn’t let anything bad happen to his food,” Lucas rolled his eyes playfully.

Once again, the joke was good-natured, but he couldn’t help but feel something odd about it. Then it suddenly hit him.

His secret admirer had also written that he hoped Will got the present if he wasn’t at school today.

Did his admirer mean he hoped Dustin wouldn’t eat it all before giving it to Will? Did he know Dustin brought the camera to his house yesterday? Did that mean his secret admirer knew Dustin enough to make that joke? Was it someone in one of Dustin’s classes, then? Or was it someone from one of his clubs? The more Will thought of it, the more questions he had.

“Earth to Will,” Dustin’s hand waving in front of Will’s face pulled him away from his thoughts. He looked around to see the rest of the Party had already cleaned up their table and were about to leave, so he hastily put his stuff away and stood up.

“What were you thinking about?” Dustin chuckled.

“Our trip to New York,” Will lied. “I was thinking about the things we can buy ahead so we won’t be in a hurry before we leave”.

It wasn’t that he was embarrassed admitting he’d been thinking about his admirer, but he was pretty sure he was overthinking. Someone could’ve seen Dustin left with his gift yesterday, and they could’ve overheard the Party joking if they had been watching him for a while.

He shook his head and dismissed his thought before returning to the conversation his friends were currently having, which was about shopping for their trips.

 

~~******* ****** *******~~

 

“It’s been half an hour, I need a break,” Dustin complained for the third time.

After school, the boys had all decided to go to Will’s place to do their homework. Will’s offer to share the candies his secret admirer had gotten for him had surely made his location more appealing, although he suspected they would’ve chosen his house anyway.

“Come on, Dustin, you only have 2 more problems,” Will encouraged the curly-haired boy. “Finish them and you’ll be done for the day”.

The difference in their methods of studying also presented a small challenge for the Party to solve, with Max and Dustin needing to take multiple short breaks, while Lucas and El preferred to do everything in one long undisrupted session. Mike and Will were usually the middle ground, trying to balance the rest of the Party, and in some cases, put some distance between the two groups so the former wouldn’t disrupt the latter, and the latter wouldn’t kill the former.

“If I do it, can I get another Kiss?” Dustin grinned at Will, and he rolled his eyes affectionately.

The curly haired boy had been calling the Hershey’s Kisses chocolate like that for the whole day, and although at first Will had kept blushing when hearing the question, he’d finally gotten used to it.

“Yes you can,” Will chuckled. “Although I think you’ve eaten most, if not all of them already”.

For a 16-year-old boy, Dustin was a little too easy to persuade using candy.

Well, not with anything serious or important, but it was rather common for Dustin to agree to do something, or look another way when something happened, for the price of a candy bar or something like that. Will had once asked Dustin why he did it, and the curly-haired boy had just grinned and said that he would’ve done what they’d asked anyway, but now he could get himself some snacks out of it.

With the girls not joining them on this study session, Will had been tasked with keeping Dustin in check, and Mike’s job was to relay information between Lucas and the other two, making sure that no one got stuck on a problem for too long. Will had finished his last assignment about five minutes ago, and once Dustin finished his, he’d finally be free to do other things, like taking photos of Lucas and Mike studying. Lucas had an essay to write, and Mike was halfway through his Biology homework, so they would probably have to work for 15 more minutes. Plenty of chances for Will to take some photos.

“Alright, I’m done,” Dustin groaned before immediately standing up and leaving for his reward.

Will smiled softly and went to retrieve his camera, before pointing it at his new models.

Whenever Mike and Lucas were paired together to do their homework, they always formed a small world of their own. They worked in sync and barely communicated with each other, yet they were still able to know what the others were doing, and sometimes give each other the help they needed. _That_ was what Will had hoped to capture.

“I see the camera is still your favorite gift,” Dustin commented as he quietly approached Will.

“Well, he _did_ say he wanted me to use it, so I’m using it,” Will stuck his tongue out playfully at Dustin.

“Do you have any idea who he is yet?” Mike asked, his eyes still on his homework.

Well, apparently he was also listening. So much for ‘capturing Mike and Lucas in their natural habitat’.

“I’m not sure,” Will shrugged. “Not like I have a lot of clues to go off of”.

“That’s not entirely true,” Lucas said simply.

Wow.

Apparently, once the topic changed into his secret admirer, everyone was listening.

“Lucas is right,” Dustin grinned. “We know they paid attention to you enough to know you had been using Jonathan’s phone case,” he said.

“Or your eye color,” Mike added.

“Or the fact that you don’t have a camera other than your phone,” Lucas pointed out.

“He also knows you’re a great artist”.

“And he definitely knows about Dustin bringing you yesterday’s present”.

Oh.

So they _all_ had noticed.

Well, at least he knew he wasn’t overthinking.

Or they all had been.

“Okay, you might be right,” Will sighed. “But there are still tons of people who fit that description”.

“Not if you cross check them with those who have the ability to put something in your locker every day,” Dustin said. “But enough about his admirer, guys. Finish your homework and we can play some games”.

Mike and Lucas mumbled something incoherently, but they both got back to their assignments.

Will chuckled and held up his camera.

 

~~******* ****** *******~~

 

He ended up with some nice photos from their study session.

Well, only Mike and Lucas were studying in those, while Dustin was being a goofball, dragging Will away once every five minutes to take a picture of him doing something childish.

He was fairly certain that the curly-haired boy was having a sugar rush.

But it didn’t affect the quality of the photos.

There was one of Mike and Lucas doing their homework, two of Dustin trying to pose while jumping, one of Lucas giving Dustin a death glare after the other boy had bumped into the table they’d been sitting at while Mike trying to calm Lucas down, and one of Mike and Lucas whispering something to each other.

At this pace, he’d run out of space to put the photos unless he pinned them all on his wall.

Well, he’d think of that later.

As he put the pictures away and got under his Christmas blanket, his mind drifted back to his secret admirer.

Will wondered what he was like, what his hobbies and interests were.

His admirer seemed to know him pretty well, yet he had no idea who the other boy was, and nothing about his character other than ‘caring’.

While that was the best quality someone could have, he wished that wasn’t the only quality he knew. All his friends were caring, after all. Hell, his boys were the most caring people he’d ever known.

Will sighed and closed his eyes. Wouldn’t it be nice if one of them was his secret admirer?

No. He wasn’t being fair. He’d only thought that way because he knew them the best, and that was the exact opposite of his situation with this admirer.

Maybe he could leave a note in his locker for the admirer, asking him to tell Will more about him.

As the boy drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were about how his admirer would adjust to his group, with Mike always being wary towards new people, and the other two boys being almost as overprotective as his mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter.
> 
> Tell me what you think, and where you want this fic to go in the future.


	7. Thursday, December 6th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone!
> 
> This chapter is pretty close to the latest chapter I have, so I better speed up my writing if I don't want to be behind schedule. Wish me luck!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy ;)

Thursday was Will’s least favorite day of the week.

For starters, his first period was PE, and that was definitely not his preferred subject.

Also, Thursday was the only day of the week he had absolutely no shared classes with the boys.

Which meant he only got to see them during lunch.

That was extremely tiring for him, since each class without his boys drained him of his energy.

Well, at least he still got to see them before and after school.

He also had a note and a gift to look forward to.

His secret admirer had never failed to make him feel good, and it had only been 5 days.

Will groggily sat up and zombie walked to the bathroom.

He needed to get ready soon.

Since this was the only day of the week where the boys didn’t share a single class with him, they had decided that they would take turns giving everyone a lift to school, with the exception of Max and Jane, who always went to school together.

Well, ‘take turns’ his ass.

Their ‘scheduling system’ worked by calling dibs the prior afternoon after school, and asking Will to be the ‘impartial third party’ whenever there was a dispute. He also had a feeling they wouldn’t let him drive even if he had his own car.

And Mike had won the last two Thursday.

Dustin was gonna pick them up today, and that meant his house would be the boy’s first stop.

 

~~****** ******* ******~~

 

“Seriously, Mike, I was not this annoying when you were driving,” Dustin complained.

“No, you were even _more_ annoying and kept hitting Lucas every two minutes,” Mike huffed.

“That happened _once_ , and it was _your_ fault for letting him sit in the back,” Dustin shot back. “It wasn’t logical to pick Will up first when you were the closest to Lucas”.

“Because my mom asked me to drop something off for Joyce, I already told you that,” Mike groaned. “And I wouldn’t trust _you_ to sit in the back with her lasagna, especially when you asked about the smell immediately after you got in”.

“Okay, but how am _I_ the problem when Mike’s limbs are the things that have been poking me non-stop?” Lucas scowled.

“Well, excuse me for being the tallest guy in this car,” Mike rolled his eyes.

“That’s it! Next time I’m gonna tape both your mouths shut,” Dustin yelled over their bickering.

Will only chuckled softly. Any other day, he might try to calm them down a little, but he would definitely miss this later, so the boy decided not to complain about it.

However, he had to admit that when Dustin pulled into the school parking lot, his thoughts had drifted a little to the things that were hopefully in his locker, waiting to be opened.

The boys also seemed to notice that when Will was the first one to get out of the car, as he heard them chuckling behind him. However, he still waited for them to get inside with him, because he wasn’t the type to leave his friends for some unknown person, no matter how sweet and sincere their words were.

Or because some part of his heart had always been with them, too.

Maybe a bit of both.

“Looking forward to today’s gift?” Dustin smirked as he got out.

“I’m looking forward to the notes more than the gifts, if we’re being honest,” Will chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice getting gifts from him, but the notes give me hints about who he is”.

“That’s such a Will thing to say,” Lucas grinned and walked to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Well, he’s Will, after all,” Mike smiled softly at him. “Sweet and nice and full of surprises. Remember when he didn’t want to use the phone case because he thought it might be from a girl?”

Will blushed a little.

“You guys are giving me too much credit,” he said. “I’m sure if you were in my situation, you’d want to know more about the person too. I mean, at first, it could be anyone, so you’d have to make sure it was from a girl. Then you’d still have half the school as possible candidates and you had to narrow that list down _somehow_ ”.

The boys having a silent conversation before Dustin groaned and shook his head. “You know, Will, sometimes you can be really, _really_ oblivious”.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Will frowned.

“Nothing,” Lucas chuckled and started leading them all inside. “Come on, let’s go see what your secret admirer has to say today”.

“You’re almost as enthusiastic about it as Will,” Mike commented.

“What can I say? I’m also curious to learn more about this admirer of Will’s,” Lucas shrugged. “After all, I have a feeling Will would want to keep him around”.

“Yeah, it’s always good to know who you’ll have to compete with to win Will’s affection,” Dustin winked. “I want Will to love me more than some random guy”.

Will could feel his face heating up more and more.

Dustin always joked like that, yet he could never stop himself from blushing.

Something must be wrong with him.

“G-Guys,” he said exasperatedly, “nobody has to ‘compete’ with anybody. And I will still love all of you even if I have feelings for this guy”.

He definitely wasn’t lying when he said he loved them.

He even loved them a little more than he should’ve.

But he couldn’t help it.

“The only reason I want to know about him is to see if he’s good enough for Will,” Mike rolled his eyes. “He’s the best person in the world and only deserves the best”.

Will was fairly certain his face now resembled a tomato.

Mike always said that.

‘Good enough’ for him? He should be the one that wasn’t good enough for his secret admirer.

The guy had been sending him gifts and notes, and he still had no idea who that was.

He couldn’t think of a single person at school who could possibly have a crush on him.

From his experience watching Mike and Lucas from afar, he knew he’d probably hurt them a lot being oblivious already.

“I’m sure whoever that is, he’s more than good enough for me, Mike,” he said sheepishly as they approached his locker.

Inside, as he’d expected, was another small red package the size of his closed fist and a cream-colored note.

He could feel a smile forming on his lips as he picked up the note.

“That smile is right on schedule,” Dustin snickered.

“Oh shush,” he chided playfully and started reading.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I hope you liked the candy. I know you wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it at school, but that I thought it’d make an interesting change in flavor._ **
> 
> **_I’ve been making too many puns now. No more sweet talk._ **
> 
> **_Okay, now I’m done._ **
> 
> **_Anyway, today’s gift is something you can enjoy immediately._ **
> 
> **_I hope it’ll put a smile on your face._ **
> 
> **_I love seeing your smile. I wish you would do it all the time._ **
> 
> **_Well, not all the time._ **
> 
> **_I love seeing your pout too. It was adorable._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 6th day of December._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will had to reread the note five times to make sure he didn’t misread anything.

His heart was jumping out of his chest.

It couldn’t possibly mean what he thought it did, right?

“You alright there, buddy?” Dustin’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

All three pairs of eyes were looking at him now.

They had definitely noticed his odd behavior.

He passed the note to Dustin and picked up the package.

He could see Dustin start reading, but the other two were still keeping their eyes on him.

He tried to ignore that and started unwrapping his gift carefully.

“Well, that’s… something,” Dustin mumbled and handed the note to Lucas.

The boy definitely had also noticed that, or he wouldn’t have reacted that way.

Will’s fingers were shaking now, and he accidentally made a small rip on the wrapping, which he mentally cursed himself for.

A quiet ‘Oh’ told him that Lucas had finished reading the note, but his focus was now on the unwrapped present in his hand.

It was a bracelet.

A green and blue charm bracelet with letter beads and a cleric symbol. The letter beads spelled out ‘Will The Wise’.

It was beautiful, as always, and obviously, it was handmade. It also just confirmed the impossible.

This just couldn’t be it.

There must be another way to explain this.

“Will?” Mike’s voice came from behind him, and the boy reluctantly turned around to face his friends. “Other than that time at the quarry, when was the last time you pouted?”

“When I was eight,” he replied with a shaky voice, not being able to look any of his friends in the eyes.

 

~~****** ******* ******~~

 

It was like his whole world had turned upside down once again the moment he read that note.

It just couldn’t be.

But other than his three friends and his mom, literally nobody else had ever seen him pouting, not even Jonathan.

Maybe his secret admirer had been watching them from afar on Monday. Maybe he had one of those spy binoculars that could zoom in on Will’s face from atop the quarry.

But Will had been drawing the quarry. He would’ve noticed if someone had been anywhere nearby.

Maybe his admirer had one of those Predator technologies where he could turn invisible. Maybe he had been right next to Will and he didn’t even know it.

What about the bracelet, then? Even if his admirer somehow found out about him being the cleric, there was absolutely no way he would’ve known about ‘Will The Wise’.

Well, if the guy had access to those technologies, then he wouldn’t be surprised if his room was bugged somehow.

Will was completely aware of how ridiculously impossible his explanations kept getting, but he refused to think about the alternative.

None of them could be his secret admirer. They just couldn’t.

First off, they were all straight. Mike and Lucas had even been in relationships with girls in the past, even if those girls ended up dating each other now. He also knew that Dustin didn’t look at girls the same way Will did.

Furthermore, all of them had been with him the whole time.

Well, not technically the whole time, but they had been there when he retrieved the candy from his locker the previous afternoon, and they had come home with him and stayed until after dinner. This morning, Dustin had picked them all up from their respective homes, and they all had been with him the whole time.

There was just no way for any of them to put something in his locker. It was a foolish thing even considering that idea.

Almost as foolish as the idea of his secret admirer being a spy.

Will sighed and tried to focus on the lecture, but soon gave up.

He hadn’t been able to pay attention to a single thing his teachers had said this morning anyway.

His mind kept going back to the note, the theories, and occasionally, the boys’ behavior after Mike’s question.

They had all avoided eye contact, not just from Will but also from each other, and they hadn’t said anything to each other than ‘well I better get to class now’.

It had been so awkward.

If he had to make a comparison, he would say it had been even more awkward than that time he danced with a girl in middle school.

The bell rang, startling him and signaling the beginning of lunch.

He scrunched his nose at the thought.

Hopefully, this would go better than this morning.

 

~~****** ******* ******~~

 

“Okay, what is wrong with you guys?” Max asked after sixty seconds of awkward silence. “Usually Dustin would be chewing our ears off by now and I would have to tune him out”.

“Hardy har har, Max,” Dustin scoffed, shooting her a glare. “Nothing is wrong. Just that… Uh… The secret admirer’s note from today…”

“Do I have to hurt someone?” Jane interrupted.

“What? No!” Will reacted a little too strongly.

There was no way he would let anyone hurt his friends.

Wait.

No.

It wasn’t one of them.

“The secret admirer said that he loved it when Will pouted,” Mike provided.

“Wait, you pout?” Max asked incredulously, turning to Will. “How come I never see that?”

“He did it just once,” Lucas cleared his throat, “when we went to the quarry last Monday”.

“So now you know it’s one of the people at the quarry that day,” Jane hummed. “That’s good, right?”

“That’s kind of the problem here,” Dustin sighed. “We were the only ones at the quarry when that happened”.

For a moment, no one said anything. Jane and Max were probably trying to process the information, while the rest finally had no other option but to face the thing all of them had thought of, but none of them had voiced until now.

“Oh?” Max finally said. “So that means the secret admirer—”

“—is one of us,” Lucas finished.

“That doesn’t have to be the case,” Jane said softly. “He could mean ‘I wish I could see you pout’ or something like that”.

“That’s not everything, though,” Will said sheepishly and showed everyone the bracelet around his wrist. The boys had been so awkward earlier that none of them had even asked to see the present. “He used ‘Will The Wise’ and this cleric symbol,” he pointed out. “Nobody else knew about that name or that I’m a cleric”.

“I see,” Max hummed. “Well, you know what they say. When you drop the bullshit then the only explanation left is the truth”.

“That’s not what they say,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “That quote was from Sherlock Holmes. When you have eliminated the impossible, wha—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Max interrupted. “The point is, if only one of them can be it, then one of them is your secret admirer”.

“But none of them can be it,” Will protested. “They’re all straight, and they definitely don’t like me like that”.

Dustin groaned, and Max shot him an ‘are you fucking serious’ look, while Mike and Jane shared a silent conversation.

“You know, you might not want to hold onto that reasoning,” Lucas said. “The counterproof is on your wrist, after all”.

“Oh god this conversation is painful,” Max groaned and turned to Will. “Someone at this table wants to kiss you senseless, and it’s not me or Jane. You literally just told me that. Got it? Good”.

Will’s face heated up immediately.

Kiss him senseless?

He most certainly did not say that.

And none of the boys wanted to kiss him senseless.

No matter how much he wanted that to be true.

“Handwriting,” Will blurted out. “The handwriting doesn’t look like any of theirs”.

It was true. That had been the logic to keep him from thinking like that since the beginning of this whole thing.

“Well, I don’t have an answer for that yet,” Max shrugged. “Maybe they asked someone to write it for them, or maybe they’ve spent months trying to master two different handwritings. You saw how dedicated your secret admirer is”.

Will frowned.

What Max had said made sense somewhat.

But still…

Why did they have to go through all that trouble?

He would’ve said yes immediately if they’d told him they wanted to ask him out.

He knew he’d been wishing that his secret admirer was one of his best friends, but somehow now when it was probably the best explanation, he was trying his best to dismiss it.

Because if he accepted it, everything would be a lot more complicated.

“I think,” Mike cleared his throat, “that it doesn’t matter if your secret admirer is one of us. I mean, if he wants to hide behind pen and paper like a mysterious person then I’m gonna treat him like another person. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want us to be this awkward around each other”.

Everyone (well, him and his boys) looked at each other for what felt like the first time in a long time.

Could Will do that? Treating the secret admirer as a whole other person?

Well, he _had_ been doing it, but it was before he acquired this new knowledge.

“Mike is right,” Dustin said. “I don’t want to be awkward around you guys either. I mean, obviously, I’ll still wonder who it might be, but the important thing is Will’s happiness, right?”

“Sounds good enough to me,” Lucas chuckled. “We’ll cross the secret admirer bridge whenever we get to it”.

“Don’t get me wrong, though, I still think it’s a very cowardly move, and whoever it is definitely doesn’t deserve Will,” Mike scoffed.

Will’s face turned beet red again, but he nodded sheepishly to indicate that he wouldn’t let it be awkward around his best friends anymore.

They always made him blush anyway.

One of them being the secret admirer wouldn’t change that.

“Alright, now that’s out of the way, how do you like this new present?” Dustin asked excitedly.

Will’s answer was his almost painfully wide smile.

“That good, huh?” Lucas chuckled.

“It’s obviously handmade,” Will pointed out. “So, it’s a very sweet gesture from, uh, my secret admirer”.

Yeah, it was from one of them.

But at the same time, it felt like it was from a wholly different individual.

Will also realized that, he’d always wanted to tell his secret admirer how much he loved those presents, and now he literally could by telling his best friends about it.

He guessed it was another good thing about this whole situation.

They soon comfortably got back to their normal pace, with the boys bickering once every three minutes and Max threatening to kick Dustin off the table once every five.

 

~~****** ******* ******~~

 

As Will laid in bed that night, he couldn’t help but ponder the situation once again.

Apparently one of his best friends in the world was his secret admirer.

But at the same time, none of them could’ve been.

He still couldn’t believe it.

But…

What if it was one of them?

Would he want it to be someone more than the others?

He refused to answer the question.

If, _if_ it was one of them, he would be more than happy, no matter who it was.

That was all that mattered.

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something new for Will to think about ;) What about you? What do you think? Let me know below and _maybe_ I can answer whatever question you have.


	8. Friday, December 7th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone. Welcome to another chapter of Dear Will.  
> Thanks for all the love you've given this fic, and I hope today's chapter also live up to it.  
> Enjoy!

Today was the seventh day.

The seventh day of the month, and the seventh day of the secret admirer.

Will’s secret admirer.

Someone had been interested in him enough to give him presents for the last 6 days.

Well, not _someone_.

One of his best friends.

But he didn’t know which one.

Based on the messages and the gifts, the secret admirer could only be one of them.

Yet he still couldn’t believe it was _any_ of them.

They were all straight. None of them liked him like that.

Will groaned and sat up on his bed, pushing his palms against his eyes.

Thinking about this gave him a headache.

Maybe this had all been a misunderstanding.

Maybe there was a better explanation waiting for him in today’s note.

Or maybe it really was one of them, and they would say something about it there.

He sighed.

Why did this have to be significantly more complicated than before?

The boy distractedly walked to the bathroom to get himself ready for the rather long, and probably eventful day he’d be having.

 

~~****** ****** ******~~

 

He was the first of the Party to arrive at school.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise for Will, really, considering how he was fifteen minutes earlier than usual today.

He was just too anxious to stay home any longer.

The boy contemplated for a moment before deciding to just go to his locker and check for the gift first.

He figured if he was quick enough, he could be back before any of them arrived.

Plus, if they arrived at school and didn’t see him, they’d probably know where he was heading anyway.

Will quickly headed to his locker, but paused just before opening it.

What if the present wasn’t there yet?

What if whoever it was, planned to put it in his locker after he got to school?

Should Will leave and pretend that he wasn’t at school yet, or should he hide and see who it was?

He knew what the right thing to do was, but the temptation was still too high.

Turned out he didn’t need to worry about that, because in his locker, just like always, was a box-shaped gift in red wrapping with light blue polka dots. On top of the package was another cream-colored note.

“When did you put it here?” Will mumbled and took the note.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You are the best person in the world, and the most important person in my life. I hope you know that._ **
> 
> **_In fact, you’re really important to all of us, and I think anyone would give you the same answer if you asked. After all, we aren’t complete without our cleric._ **
> 
> **_It saddens me whenever you think you’re not good enough for someone. You might not say it but I could see it in your eyes yesterday. I hope one day you’ll see yourself the way we see you._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift should be perfect for a relaxing Friday evening, after all the homework has been dealt with._ **
> 
> **_Have a nice 7th of December._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will’s smiled softly at the note.

Well, if there had been any slight chance of this admirer being someone other than a Party member, it had certainly gone now.

He hadn’t thought anyone had even noticed what he’d thought yesterday when Mike had gone on another rant about how the secret admirer didn’t deserve him, but apparently one of them had.

But he still had no idea how he could be good enough for someone this caring.

He shook his head and picked up the present.

It was rather light, and felt like several different boxes stacked together. If it had been heavier, he would’ve guessed it was a stack of books of some sort.

But he’d never been able to correctly guess what his gifts were anyway, so the boy decided to just unwrap the package.

When he finally did, Will couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the gift.

It was an entire DVD set of Harry Potter.

Whoever it was must’ve remembered how he always got too excited whenever a Harry Potter marathon was on TV, since none of them had them.

He could already hear Dustin complaining about how the movies left out and changed too many details from the book.

Yet, said boy had never missed a single Harry Potter marathon with them.

Will chuckled.

Maybe they could have a movie marathon tonight.

Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to stay over on such short notice, but they could start today and finish tomorrow.

Wait. No.

On Sunday.

Tomorrow he had a date with Lucas.

A friendly hangout.

Not a date.

Lucas didn’t like him like that.

He really should stop this train of thought when he could.

 

~~****** ****** ******~~

 

“Of course we would give you the same answer,” Dustin said as he passed the note back to Will. “You have no idea how special you are, do you?”

He’d decided to leave the DVDs in his locker, only bringing the note with him back to the bike rack to wait for his friends. Now they were all walking to class while he told them about the note and today’s gift.

“I’m no—”

“Give up, Will,” Max chuckled. “You’re not gonna win this one. Ever”.

Will sighed and nodded. The boys were all too stubborn for that.

“Anyway, I was thinking, maybe we can have a Harry Potter marathon later tonight?” Will suggested.

“Sorry, Will,” Jane said apologetically. “Girl’s night,” she stated simply.

Well, he hadn’t expected the girls to change their schedule anyway, so it hadn’t bummed him out or anything.

“I still don’t know why any of you would buy that for him,” Dustin huffed. “Didn’t you listen to a single word I said about mmphff—”

Will turned to Dustin, and chuckled when he saw that Lucas had covered the shorter boy’s mouth and held him in a headlock.

“What he wanted to say is,” Lucas grinned, “we would love to. You know I never pass up a good movie marathon”.

“Or a good chance to shut Dustin up,” Mike snickered.

“Well, you know he’s going to rant for the next ha— Ew!” Lucas exclaimed loudly and withdrew his hand, wiping it on his jeans. “You’re fucking sixteen, why the fuck would you do that?”

“Don’t shut me up like that anymore, then,” Dustin stuck out his tongue.

“Would you want me to shut you up in some other way, then?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“You wouldn’t dare, Sinclair,” Dustin smirked. “Not the first time you threatened to shut me up in some other way either”.

“And what do I get if I do that?” Lucas slowly backed Dustin into the lockers.

“G-Guys?” Will said nervously. “Class, remember?”

That looked… hot.

He could definitely feel his face heating up a little.

On his side, Mike chuckled softly. “You guys can save that for later,” he remarked before taking Will’s hand and leading him away. “Or you guys can do it now and I will head to class first with Will”.

“No way you’re leaving without me,” Dustin proclaimed and pushed Lucas away, trying to rush after them.

Mike laughed out loud.

Will’s face turned completely red.

 

~~****** ****** ******~~

 

Will’s last period of the week was art.

Needless to say, it was his favorite class of the entire week.

Because he was Ms. Montgomery’s favorite student, he pretty much got a free pass for doing other things in class after he’d turned in his assignments. Considering how his ‘doing other things’ was still drawing, it didn’t affect the class that much. However, he got to use the fancy colors and other equipment they had in class, and that was always a big plus. Sometimes he took advantage of that and used the classroom easel and large sketchbook if he wanted to draw something big. But today, he was contented with using just the fancy colors. He didn’t have enough time to draw something big, after all.

Since he already had an idea of what to draw already, the chestnut-brown-haired boy took no time before his hand started moving. Soon enough, shapes and forms started showing up on the paper. A dark cave, a monster with five different heads, four figures fighting the monster, each of them wielding a different weapon, and a twenty-sided die in the corner. Slowly but surely, he transformed his imagination into a beautiful drawing of the Party fighting a hydra.

In a way, Will guessed it had always been this way. Granted, the Party had six members now, but somehow, there were still some adventures that only the first four members went on — like this movie night that Jane and Max had opted out. It wasn’t that the other two weren’t welcome to join. That was just how things were.

When Jane and Max showed up, he had been delighted to make new friends, since he’d only had four friends before that.

He might have felt some other feelings when he’d seen how infatuated Mike had been for Jane, and how Lucas and Dustin seemed to pay extra attention to Max, but he’d never let that affect his attitude towards the two.

Well, if it wasn’t them, it would be someone else who eventually got the attention of his friends anyway. And when that happened, he would welcome the new member with all his heart.

“Wow, it looks beautiful,” Lucas’ voice snapped him out of his train of thought, and he jumped a little when he turned around to all three of his friends standing behind him.

“Jeez, guys” Will let out a shaky breath, “don’t scare me like that”.

“Sorry, Will,” Mike smiled apologetically, “you were just so lost in thought, and we didn’t want to interrupt”.

Will’s eyes quickly turned to the clock, and he let out a loud gasp in surprise.

School had been out for 30 minutes. These idiots had been standing behind him watching him work for half an hour.

“Oh my god, and you guys were just standing there doing nothing?” He sighed. “You should’ve interrupted”.

“Nah, we love seeing you work,” Dustin grinned. “The way you focus on this drawing is so passionate that it’s extra adorable”.

Will’s cheeks heated up again.

He wasn’t _adorable_.

Yet Dustin kept saying that.

And neither of his other friends ever said anything about it.

“I remember this game,” Mike chuckled. “This was back in July if I’m not mistaken. Dustin really saved our asses, didn’t he?”

“What are you talking about? I always save your asses,” Dustin huffed.

“Do I need to remind you that you were the reason we were in that cave in the first place?” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Well, we got out of there, didn’t we?” Dustin waved his hand dismissively. “Anyway, I’m guessing you’re done, Will? Because we have a movie marathon to attend”.

Behind Dustin, Will could see Mike covering Lucas’ mouth, stopping the other boy from commenting on Dustin’s positive attitude towards the movie marathon.

He chuckled at that. They would probably bicker the whole way to his house if Mike hadn’t been fast enough.

“Yeah, I’m done,” he gave the curly-haired boy a soft smile. “Do you want to keep the drawing?”

“What? Me?” Dustin’s eyes widened.

Will sighed at the surprised tone in his friend’s voice. It wasn’t uncommon for Will to give his drawings to his friends — Mike had been getting those since kindergarten. It also wasn’t uncommon for Dustin to be surprised when he was the one getting one of those. His secret admirer wanted to talk about someone thinking they were not good enough? He should’ve talked about Dustin instead.

“Yeah, you,” he nodded and put the drawing in Dustin’s hand. “Like Mike said, _you_ saved our asses, after all. I think you’re the best person to keep it”.

“Oh, wow,” Dustin smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, Will. You really didn’t have to”.

“Of course I didn’t have to,” Will rolled his eyes affectionately, “I wanted to”. He then pulled the other boy in for a quick hug. “You’re really great, you know that?”

“Right back atcha,” Dustin chuckled and hugged him back. “You are a lot more important than you give yourself credit for”.

“Alright, if you two are done being all lovey-dovey and adorable,” Lucas cleared his throat, “school's been out for 40 minutes and we’re still in class”.

“Well, I don’t recall you doing anything other than watching Will for half an hour either, so don’t come at me,” Dustin rolled his eyes and pulled away.

“If you guys don’t stop bickering, I’m gonna take Will home first,” Mike said and took Will’s hand.

“No!” Both boys said in unison.

None of them seemed to care about how red they were making his face.

 

~~****** ****** ******~~

 

They ended up going shopping a little before heading back to Will’s place.

He’d received a text from Joyce informing him that she would be home late today, and he didn’t have to save something for her. Seeing how today was also her date night with Jim, he didn’t expect anything more.

However, the situation, according to Dustin, meant that they could order pizza and buy snacks and microwave popcorn for dinner. The curly-haired boy was _very_ persistent when it came to food, so the rest of them quickly decided that they would give in this time.

That was why Will and Lucas were both carrying bags of chips in their hands while Mike was on the phone ordering pizza, when Dustin dashed to the kitchen to make the popcorn.

“He’s like a child sometimes,” Lucas shook his head fondly as they both set the snacks down on the coffee table.

“Well, it wouldn’t be him if he wasn’t like that,” Will chuckled and sat down next to Lucas on the sofa. “I wouldn’t trade him for anything else. I wouldn’t trade any of you for anything in the world”.

“You’re really precious, you know that, Will?” Mike smiled and sat down next to him. “But yeah, I wouldn’t trade any of you for anything either”.

“You called Will precious, then went and said the exact same thing he just did,” Lucas pointed out. “If you wanted me to call you precious, all you had to do was ask”.

“If I wanted you to call me precious, I wouldn’t even need to ask,” Mike retorted.

“Care to put that to the test, Wheeler?” Lucas smirked.

Will immediately shot up to put in the first DVD. When he turned around, he noticed the two boys were both looking at him, smiling.

“W-What?” He asked sheepishly and sat back down slowly, his face slightly pink.

“Nothing,” Mike chuckled. “You’re so adorable”.

“I’m really n—”

“No!” Dustin exclaimed loudly as he rushed back into the living room. “It’s not fair. I went to make popcorn and lost my spot next to Will”.

“It’s not that exciting sitting next to me,” Will said weakly.

“You snooze, you lose,” Lucas smirked. “You already got to sit next to him when you all skipped last Tuesday”.

“But that was Tuesday,” Dustin whined. “You can’t keep using that against me”.

“Oh yeah? Watch me,” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you can still sit next to me or Lucas,” Mike chuckled.

Dustin mumbled incoherently and sat down next to Mike before passing the bowl of popcorn he’d just made to Will.

“Uh, thanks, Dustin,” Will smiled. “You know, I don’t have to sit in the middle, right?”

“Nah, you’re staying there,” Dustin shook his head. “But Mike, can I _please_ sit next to Will? I mean, you already got to sit next to him during lunch”.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Mike rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t have accepted that if it’d come from me”.

“Bu—”

“Shut up, Dustin,” Lucas threw some popcorn at the blue-eyed boy. “The movie’s starting”.

Dustin stopped talking after that, but Will couldn’t help but think that his friend’s mood had been ruined, since the curly-haired boy hadn’t once reached out for the popcorn, and Harry was already going to Diagon Alley.

Apparently, Mike hadn’t missed Dustin’s bad mood either, because the paladin let out a groan before pulling their bard down, letting him lie across Mike’s lap and rest his head on Will’s.

The blond boy’s eyes went wide in surprise, and everyone was looking at their Party leader.

“Stop sulking and just enjoy the movie already,” Mike scolded.

“Thanks, Mike,” Dustin sent Mike his widest toothy grin. “You’re way better than Lucas”.

“I heard that,” Lucas scoffed and reached out to ruffle Dustin’s hair, earning a groan from the poor boy.

Will smiled warmly at the whole interaction.

This was nice.

 

~~****** ****** ******~~

 

When they finished the second movie, it was already a little past 10, so they decided to stop and continue on another day.

“So I’m thinking, tomorrow we should go to the arcade,” Dustin suggested as they cleaned up the living room. “Have to make sure the high scores haven’t been broken”.

“Well, _you_ can do whatever you want,” Lucas sent Dustin the most deadly glare. “ _I_ am taking Will out tomorrow, or have you forgotten about that?”

Dustin made a face. “Of course I didn’t forget about that,” he huffed. “I was hoping you did”.

Will’s face turned red again.

It was really difficult to think of it as a friendly hangout day if all of them kept putting it like that.

“Where are you taking him?” Mike asked.

“Well, Will is gonna find out tomorrow,” Lucas grinned at Will before turning to the other two, “and you guys won’t. I’m not letting you crash our date”.

Will’s heart fluttered again.

He needed to not take things seriously all the time. He knew how often Dustin liked to joke about these things. Lucas was probably just playing along.

“Fine, don’t tell us then,” Dustin huffed. “We’ll just casually stroll around town for no apparent reason at all”.

“Do that if you want, but don’t you think I would find a way to prevent that from happening?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, by trying to discourage us from searching for you,” Dustin retorted.

“Honestly, Lucas, if you don’t tell us where you’re going, how are we going to avoid running into you?” Mike asked.

“Let me worry about that,” Lucas shrugged. “Now if you guys don’t mind, I want to discuss tomorrow’s plan with Will. You can wait outside if you want to bike back together. It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes”.

Mike nodded and took Dustin’s hand, dragging him outside much to the shorter boy’s protest. Both boys called out a quick ‘Good night, Will’ before closing the front door.

Once they were alone in the living room, Lucas smiled softly at Will. “So, are you excited about tomorrow?”

Will bit his lips and nodded sheepishly. His face had practically been radiating heat since Lucas mentioned taking him out, so there was no point in hiding it anyway.

“Great,” Lucas beamed. “So, I’ll pick you up at 10, then?”

Will nodded again. Somehow it was a little difficult to use his voice in this conversation with Lucas. “S-So, where are we going?” He cleared his throat and asked.

“Well, you’ll have to wait and see tomorrow,” Lucas chuckled before turning around and walking outside. “Good night, Will”.

“Good night, Lucas,” Will said as he walked out with the boy. “Good night, guys,” he called out to the other two and watched as his three best friends biked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's already a week since Will first got his letter. 
> 
> Who do you think has the biggest potential to be the secret admirer, and who do you think has the least? Let me know in the comments so I could change that ;)
> 
> Tomorrow is Will's _not-date_ with Lucas. What do you think will happen? Let me know in the comments as well.
> 
> Until tomorrow.


	9. Saturday, December 8th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> This is probably my favorite chapter to write out of the first 10 chapters. Hope it feels just as good to read.
> 
> Enjoy!

Today was his day with Lucas.

Will had decided to simply call it that.

It was simple and true, and he didn’t have to use any misleading words like ‘date’.

He hadn’t opened his eyes yet, but that wasn’t really necessary, because if his alarm hadn’t gone off, he hadn’t been late yet.

And if he trusted his biological clock, which he did, he’d bet anything it was still around 7am.

The boy blindly retrieved his phone from his nightstand before withdrawing into his incredibly warm and comfortable Christmas blanket — one of the most useful gifts he’d ever received.

Well, to be fair, all the things he’d received from his secret admirer were either beautiful, or useful, or both. But some of those useful things he got to use every day, like the blanket, the scarf, or his phone case, while others he couldn’t for lots of different reasons.

He wondered what today’s present would be.

Will opened his eyes lazily and checked his phone.

7.03am.

Right on the money.

He slowly got up and headed to the bathroom, quickly planning his morning while brushing his teeth.

He would have breakfast with his mom and check for another package for him if his mom hadn’t brought that inside already.

Then he would sit down and draw Mike, since he’d finished the drawing of Dustin last weekend. These drawings would definitely be part of his Christmas presents for them.

Then at 9.30, he would start preparing for his day with Lucas.

The boy hadn’t told him what they would do yet, so he didn’t really know what to prepare for, but the least he could do was to take a shower and get dressed.

 

~~****** ***** ******~~

 

The gift wasn’t there.

Will was a little disappointed when his mom said nobody had left him anything today yet.

Well, a little disappointed and a little worried as well.

His secret admirer had always surprised him with how early the gifts had gotten to his hand in the morning.

Had something happened? Had his present been stolen? Or was his secret admirer sick today? If he checked in on the boys, would he know who his secret admirer was? Or was his secret admirer Lucas? Was he planning to bring the gift to him when he arrived? Wouldn’t this mess up the whole ‘secret admirer’ thing?

Despite all the things in his head, Will still managed to have a rather nice breakfast conversation with his mom, and not raise any questions. However, as she headed to work and he was left alone to clean up, his mind started running a mile a minute again.

If Lucas was his secret admirer, then wouldn’t this be a date? Should he think of this as a date then? But what if it wasn’t, and he made everything awkward by acting like it was a date? What would he even do before a date, anyway? He knew he was overthinking this, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

Luckily for him, most of his problems that morning vanished when he returned to his room, and his eyes landed on a red package with a creamy note on his desk.

Since when had it been there?

He could’ve sworn that the package hadn’t been there when he’d gone to sleep last night.

Had someone sneaked into his room in the middle of the night? Or had his secret admirer dropped by during his breakfast?

Would it even be called ‘sneaking in’, if the only reason he left his window open was so the boys could get in easily in the first place? Technically he’d told them they could use that anytime they wanted, after all.

Will slowly approached the desk and picked up the note.

  

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I hope you like the DVDs. I know you want to have more than just Star Wars and Lord of the Rings on your shelf, but had never gotten around to getting them because there was always some art supplies you wanted to buy first._ **
> 
> **_I also hope you won’t find me sneaking into your room in the middle of the night creepy. I didn’t want the snow or anything else damaging today’s gift._ **
> 
> **_Can’t believe I’ve done this for a week already. But we still have more than two weeks left._ **
> 
> **_I really hope you’ll accept me._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 8th of December, my angel._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

As usual, his face turned red after reading the note.

‘Angel’? Wasn’t that a bit too much?

Not that he didn’t like it, but he was no angel. He wasn’t anything special at all.

Not just his secret admirer, but everyone in the Party had been putting him on a pedestal.

He couldn’t live up to that. He was just him. He had flaws. Huge flaws, even.

One of those flaws was that he was sort of in love with his best friends. All three of them. While he was falling for this secret admirer more and more.

Well, technically the secret admirer _was_ one of his best friends, but at the same time, he felt like his secret admirer couldn’t be any of them.

Because, first of all, all of them were straight. They didn’t like him like that.

Furthermore, this secret admirer didn’t feel like any of his friends. The way he talked didn’t sound like any of his best friends, and the way he wrote didn’t look like any of his best friends.

Whoever it was, he had created a whole other persona just so he could make this work.

That alone was already enough for Will to give the guy a try, even if it hadn’t been one of his boys.

But how would he tell his admirer that, when he had no idea which of his friends it was?

The guy hadn’t made it easy for him to guess either.

Will sighed and turned his focus back onto the present.

This one was square-ish, like a huge box of chocolates, and was rather heavy for its size.

Based on the note, he would guess it was a huge picture book of some sort.

He didn’t know what he’d use a picture book for, though.

Maybe it was an art book.

Well, there was no point in guessing anyway, so he carefully unwrapped the package.

And let out an amused laugh.

He was now holding his very own photo album.

Just the thing he needed to display the photos he’d taken.

Will wondered whether this had been planned in advance, or if the guy just decided to go buy him a photo album after seeing the pile of photos in his drawer.

Since none of the boys had left his side for long enough to go shopping without having to skip class, he suspected it was the former.

The boy smiled softly and put the album away.

He would put it to good use later.

But now, he had a drawing to work on.

 

~~****** ***** ******~~

 

Will didn’t finish the drawing of Mike.

It was fine, though, since he still had tons of time to work on it. Christmas was still more than half a month away, after all.

He had stopped drawing at around 9.15 to take a shower and then spent the better part of the last half an hour picking his outfit. Lucas had texted him earlier and told him to dress warm, so he assumed they would be spending a lot of time outdoors.

Lucas knocked on his door two minutes early, but by then, Will was already dressed up and ready to go. The boy opened the door and greeted his best friend with a bright grin. “Hi, Lucas,” he said softly.

“Hi, Will,” Lucas grinned widely. “Ready to go?”

Will nodded. “Do you mind if I bring my camera?” The shorter boy asked.

“Not at all,” Lucas smiled warmly at Will. “I would love to have some photos from today as well”.

“Great!” Will exclaimed cheerfully before turning on his heel. “I’ll go grab it real quick,” he said and rushed to his bedroom to get the camera.

When he returned, Will was met with a surprise. Lucas was holding…

“Two picnic baskets?” Will laughed. “Really?”

“It’s still not too cold for a picnic,” his friend grinned. “I hope you don’t mind walking a bit today”.

“Walking?” Will raises an eyebrow. “We’re not taking the bike or your car?”

“I do believe Dustin’s gonna try to find us,” Lucas shrugged. “This way he’ll see my car here and think that we’re spending the day watching movies or something”.

“When you said let you worry about it, you _did_ mean that you’d spend time thinking of a solution for it,” Will chuckled. “Okay then, lead the way!”

 

~~****** ***** ******~~

 

Lucas _had_ thought of ways to prevent them from having company, that had been obvious.

They had been walking for at least twenty minutes, so unless someone had been following them since the beginning, there was no way they would be found.

During those twenty minutes or so, they had been talking about nothing and everything, about school, about their other two best friends’ idiotic moments, and about Will’s secret admirer. Will had told Lucas about the present and how he’d found it on his desk that morning, and Lucas had given a lengthy talk about how the gesture was creepy, but it was an acceptable level of creepiness since they had been best friends since forever.

The only thing Will couldn’t talk about was what the other two were doing at the moment. That was Lucas’ one and only rule of the day. His best friend had adamantly reminded him that for today, he was Lucas’ and Lucas’ only.

He had to repeatedly remind himself that Lucas didn’t mean it _like that_. The other boy probably just wanted today to be more about their friendship than the group dynamic.

“Anyway, other than daydreaming about your secret admirer, what were you doing before I showed up?” Lucas asked with a smile.

Will’s cheeks turned slightly pink and he quickly looked away. “Nothing, really,” he lied. “I was just reading a book”.

He had long ago decided that _friends don’t lie_ didn’t apply when you wanted to prepare a surprise gift for your friends.

Or when you had a crush on one of your best friends.

Or all three of them.

He could see in Lucas’ eyes that the other boy had seen through his lie.

That was one of the things about Lucas. He could always tell if a Party member was lying.

It was up to the boy whether he let it slide or not.

Today, he let Will get away with his lie.

“We’re here,” Lucas informed Will, and he looked around to take in their picnic spot.

It was a small clearing right in front of a lake. Although the weather had been colder lately, the grass was still green enough to give the area a very unique natural beauty. The trees surrounding them gave them enough shades from the sun without blocking the light entirely, which created a rather magical view. The water was clear and reflected the cloudless sky, turning the entire surface of the lake into a beautiful blue V-shaped mirror. Or arrow-shaped. Or…

That was when Will realized it.

Heart-shaped.

This was Lovers’ Lake.

Lucas had taken him on a picnic to Lovers’ Lake.

He was certain that it was just a coincidence. Maybe Lucas didn’t even know the name of this lake. Maybe the boy just thought this was a beautiful spot for a picnic.

Yet he couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering a little.

“What do you think?” Lucas asked softly, looking at Will expectantly.

Will sent Lucas a sheepish smile. “I think it looks beautiful. You have exquisite taste”.

“I sure do,” Lucas winked at Will before putting the two baskets down, taking out a picnic blanket from one, and carefully setting it onto the ground. “Aren’t you gonna join me?” The other boy asked playfully, patting the spot next to him.

Will’s face turned slightly pink as he sat down and helped Lucas putting some of the food out. His best friend had brought an assortment of food, from sandwiches to cupcakes and fruits. He wondered how the boy even had time to prepare all of this, considering how he’d left Will’s place really late last night.

Lucas seemed to be able to read his mind. “Yeah, I’ll admit it, I got a little help,” he chuckled. “I asked my mom to buy the ingredients yesterday, and got up early today to make these”.

“How did you come up with all of this?” Will couldn’t help but wonder. This was so well thought out. He was surprised that this day had only been planned since Tuesday.

“Well, I have to go all out now, haven’t I?” Lucas grinned. “Among us, I had the least time to plan this, so it has to be spectacular to make you not forget about this day. After all, this might be the last time we get to hang out alone before you get a boyfriend”.

Will was pretty sure his face was beet red now.

Right.

Boyfriend.

His secret admirer.

Supposedly one of the guys.

Well, he knew it had to be one of them, but again, it couldn’t be any of them.

“You don’t have to try anything for today to be memorable,” Will said softly. “Just hanging out with you, any of you, is memorable enough for me. Plus, it’s not a contest, you know”.

“Mind telling Dustin that tomorrow?” Lucas chuckled, and Will had to roll his eyes.

Of course Dustin would think it was. He was the most competitive among them, after all.

“Okay, but it doesn’t have to be a contest, though,” Will smiled and reached for a cupcake. “I just want to have fun with you guys. That’s the most important thing”.

As he took a bite, the boy heard the camera shutter sound. He turned to see Lucas had taken a photo of him with his camera.

“Hey!” He huffed. “I was eating”.

“Still adorable,” the other boy chuckled and took another photo of Will sending him his deadliest glare.

They spent the next half an hour playing with their food and taking pictures. There was one of Will making cross eyes trying to stare at the cupcake frosting on his nose, one with Will’s hand smashing another cupcake in Lucas’ face, one of Lucas’ hand feeding Will a strawberry, one of Will’s failed attempt to catch a grape in his mouth, and several other photos of their food and just the two of them being goofy.

However, after an hour of eating and playing, Will started to shiver a little. When Lucas had told him to dress warm, he’d thought that they would spend a lot of time walking outdoors. He hadn’t expected them to sit there the whole time. His clothes, although still considered warm, weren’t warm enough for this kind of weather.

Lucas, of course, hadn’t missed his shivers. The boy opened his arms and patted the spot between his lap. “Come here,” he smiled softly.

Will’s eyes widened and he could feel all his blood rushing to his face. “W-What?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “You’re cold,” he pointed out. “This is the best way to warm you up. I have a spare blanket to wrap around both of us if you just come and sit here”.

Right.

It was purely to warm him up.

No special or hidden meanings behind this.

The boy sheepishly crawled towards Lucas and sat down in front of his best friend, turning his back to the taller boy, and letting Lucas wrap the second blanket (and his arms) around him. He could feel the other boy’s breath on his neck, and the shorter boy sat extra still.

Lucas sighed and pulled Will closer, pressing the boy’s back against his chest. “Just relax, Will,” he said softly. “If you like it then just enjoy it. If you don’t, I’ll find another way to warm you up. Is this okay?”

Will nodded sheepishly and tried to relax. His heart was about to jump out of his chest, but he couldn’t deny that this felt good — great, even. Gradually, his muscles loosened up and the boy started leaning more into his friend.

The other boy took Will’s gesture as a good sign, and he held Will a little tighter with one arm, while reaching for some grapes with his free hand and started feeding them to Will.

Lucas. Feeding grapes. To him.

“Lucas,” Will whined, “I can eat by myself, you know”.

“I know you can, but I want to do this as well,” Lucas chuckled. “Is this okay?”

Will was mentally thanking anyone who listened for letting his back face Lucas right now. His face was undoubtedly as red as a tomato.

But he kind of liked it as well.

“Y-Yeah,” he said meekly and gave up fighting, letting his best friend feed him, which the other boy gladly did.

When the fruits were all gone, Lucas took out his phone and started playing music, and both of them just sat there enjoying each other’s warmth and the music in the air. After a moment, the taller boy started singing along to the songs, and Will’s eyes widened in surprise.

In their Party, it came as no surprise that Dustin was an amazing singer — the boy had, on multiple occasions, showcased his voice and his talent. But other than him, none of them had really sung in front of each other before, so he hadn’t known how _angelic_ Lucas’ singing was. The taller boy’s voice was soft and sweet, and it made Will feel like he was floating on cloud nine.

“You sound really good,” Will whispered when the song ended. “Why didn’t you sing more often?”

“Maybe I want to save it for special occasions,” Lucas chuckled softly, and Will’s face turned even redder, if it was possible. “Want to send a request?” The taller boy held up his phone for Will, and he gently took it to pick the next songs.

 

~~****** ***** ******~~

 

Will hadn’t realized that he’d dozed off.

Well, that was a stupid thing to say. Almost nobody realized they were dozing off.

But Lucas’ warmth, his embrace, and his sweet voice were the perfect combination to put anyone to sleep.

When Will finally came to, his face was pressed against Lucas’ chest, his arms were wrapped around the taller boy’s torso, and Lucas’ hand was gently stroking his hair.

“Good afternoon, Sleeping Beauty,” Lucas chuckled softly.

Will sighed contentedly before slowly sitting up, but not pulling away from Lucas. “What time is it?” He asked sleepily.

“Around 3.20,” the taller boy provided. “I’m glad I’m comfortable enough for you to fall asleep on”.

Will scrunched his nose but couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his lips. “Are you kidding me? The ground is more comfortable than that”. He chuckled and shook his head. “But seriously, why didn’t you wake me up? I was supposed to spend time with you, not sleep”.

“Why can’t you do both?” Lucas asked with a grin. “And I love it when you feel comfortable enough to fall asleep like that. Wouldn’t have changed a thing”.

Will rolled his eyes. But before he could say anything, his stomach grumbled loudly, which made his cheeks heat up a little.

Lucas chuckled and reached for the picnic basket. “We still have some sandwiches left, if you’re hungry,” he said and handed Will a sandwich while taking one for him as well. They both grinned at each other before digging in.

“Thank you, Lucas,” Will said when he finally finished the sandwich. “I had a wonderful day today”.

“Me too,” Lucas grinned and looked down at Will before chuckling softly. “You have some mayonnaise over… Well, it’s difficult to point out exactly where, since it’s everywhere”. He held out his hands. “I’ll wipe it off for you. Is it okay?”

“Yeah,” Will chuckled and stuck his face out for Lucas.

The taller boy cupped Will’s face and started wiping off the mayonnaise on Will’s cheek with his thumb, earning a soft chuckle from the other boy. However, as Lucas’ thumb slowly wiped across Will’s lips, the shorter boy’s breath hitched, and his body instinctively leaned in a little closer. His eyes quickly wandered down to Lucas’ lips, which was a mistake, because it filled him with want. When he finally moved his eyes up to look into Lucas’ again, he found that they had been looking into his the whole time. The taller boy leaned a little closer to him, until their noses touched.

“Is this okay?” Lucas asked, his voice barely a whisper.

It was most certainly not okay.

This was definitely not what friends should do.

Why on earth did Lucas even need to ask this?

“Yeah,” Will found himself whispering back, and before he knew it, Lucas’ lips were on his.

It was magical.

Lucas’ lips were softer than he’d ever imagined. Not that he’d ever say that out loud.

Both his hands found their way to Lucas’ shoulders, as the taller boy cupped his cheeks affectionately.

His heart was about to explode, but right now Will didn’t care. He just wanted this to last forever.

After what felt like forever, and yet too soon, Lucas pulled away, resting their foreheads against each other.

“Will…” The taller boy whispered.

That was when his thoughts finally caught up with him.

What had he just done?

He’d just kissed one of his best friends.

No.

This was wrong.

Will immediately shot backward, his breathing quickened. In his state of panic, he didn’t notice the other boy’s confused look.

“No, no, no, this isn’t right,” Will mumbled.

“Will, calm down,” Lucas tried.

“No, no, no,” Will kept ranting. “I shouldn’t have done that. No. I should have never done that. Friends don’t do that”.

“You do realize that I was the one who initiated it, right?” Lucas frowned.

“I shouldn’t have let you, then,” the shorter boy said, his hands coming up to cover his eyes. “This isn’t right. This isn’t right”.

“Will—”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—” The boy quickly stood up and sprinted off.

“Will!” Lucas called after him, but it was already too late.

No. No. No.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This shouldn’t have happened.

He messed up.

He messed up their friendship.

Now he was going to lose a best friend.

Will didn’t know how, but he managed to get to his house, get to his room, and slam the door shut.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

As he slid down on the floor, his eyes landed on the bracelet that had been around his wrist since Thursday, and he burst into tears.

What would his secret admirer think if he knew about this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same old question: what do you think about this chapter, and what do you think will happen next?
> 
> Let me remind you that we're only 1/3 through this fic, so a lot of things could still change :)
> 
> Feel free to ask any question and I'll see if I can answer them.


	10. Sunday, December 9th

Will felt like shit.

From the things that had happened yesterday, it was a surprise if he could feel anything else today.

Or ever again.

He’d just ruined his friendship with Lucas. Now the other boy wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore.

He had ruined one of the best days of his life, and now he’d have to pay the price.

Last night he’d texted his mom, telling her that he’d already had dinner.

And then he’d just stayed in his bed crying himself to sleep, because what else could he have done?

He hadn’t even changed out of yesterday’s clothes, partly because he was too busy wallowing in his own muddle of emotions, and partly because somehow, he had the idea that, as long as he didn’t, this mess wouldn’t end, and he could somehow fix it.

That was some grade A bullshit right there.

Deep down, Will knew he had to deal with everything sooner or later. The boys were coming over for the movie marathon, after all.

And he still had a drawing to finish.

He doubted he’d be able to draw at all today, but that would be a problem for later.

As he sat up groggily, his eyes landed on the top of his desk, where a rather huge lump of red wrapping sat, with a small note on its side.

His secret admirer.

Despite the jumble of feelings in his mind, Will couldn’t help but blush the moment he saw his present.

Someone came to his room again last night. One of the boys.

His heart fluttered as he slowly approached his desk, and he couldn’t stop himself from wondering.

Could it be…?

No.

It couldn’t be Lucas.

First of all, the guy was straight. He’d dated one of Will’s closest friends for half his high school years, after all.

Next of all, just… no.

It couldn’t be him. It couldn’t be any of them.

Yet it had to be one of them.

Will sighed exasperatedly.

These trains of thought had never helped him figure out who it might be. He might as well flip a coin for these kinds of results.

The boy picked up the note and started reading.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I hope I didn’t freak you out for the second time with this method. Once again, I didn’t want this present to be damaged in any way._ **
> 
> **_I also think, if you don’t mind, I would like to deliver your gifts to you this way from now on. I don’t think they’re all small enough to be fit nicely in your locker._ **
> 
> **_Oops. No spoilers!_ **
> 
> **_Hope you liked the photo album. It was pretty lame to get you a camera and not get you one as well. I know you’ll make great use of it._ **
> 
> **_When I first saw today’s gift, I couldn’t help but think about how you’d definitely love it._ **
> 
> **_So I’m crossing my fingers and hope that it would be good enough to earn your forgiveness for breaking and entering._ **
> 
> **_And being creepy._ **
> 
> **_You were kind of thrashing around in your sleep when I came in, so I sat down next to you and calmed you down before leaving._ **
> 
> **_Yup. I’m definitely being creepy now_ **
> 
> **_Have a great 9th of December._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will’s heart was about to explode.

This guy was the sweetest guy ever.

Not only had he dropped by to give Will a present, but he’d also sat down and calmed Will down because apparently he’d had a bad dream.

How could _anyone_ be that sweet?

The boy smiled softly and picked up his present.

It was rather big and looked like an egg-shaped rock, if the egg was two feet tall.

But it was really light and soft, so his initial guess was a cotton rock.

Might’ve been as good as any guesses anyway, so he didn’t bother to make it more realistic.

And turned out his guess, at the same time, was quite close and couldn’t be further.

Today’s gift was a plushie.

Not just a plushie.

A plush puppy.

That looked like Chester.

Well, if his heart hadn’t exploded before, it definitely had now.

The thing was so adorable, Will could barely stop himself from squealing.

Somehow, his secret admirer had managed to lighten up his mood on one of the worst days of his life.

He hugged Chester Jr. and took a deep breath.

Yeah, he had this under control. Whatever needed to be done would have to be done.

He was a big boy, after all.

 

~~***** ****** *****~~

 

Dustin arrived at a little after 9, the first one to arrive as usual, since the curly-haired boy lived the closest to him. And since his mom had the day off today, she had opened the door for his friend, allowing Will to stay in his room.

Luckily for Will, by that time he had already finished his drawing, and had been rolling around in his bed, wrapped in his Christmas blanket, cuddling his new plushie. It would’ve been rather difficult to get out of that to answer the door anyway.

To him, it was still the most productive thing he could’ve done that morning.

“Oh my god,” Dustin chuckled, leaning against his door frame, “so adorable”.

“I know, right? He looks exactly like a mini Chester,” Will beamed. “I named him Chester Jr”.

“Not what I was talking about, but yeah, that too,” Dustin chuckled and shook his head.

Will’s face turned slightly pink, and he mentally scolded himself for that.

Dustin was kidding. There was no reason for him to blush like this.

He was his friends. Of course he would be comfortable joking like that. Of course any of his friends would be comfortable joking like that.

As Will untangled himself from the blanket, Dustin flopped down next to him on the bed. “So, what did you and Lucas do yesterday?”

Will’s heart dropped as soon as he heard the question, and he hoped his face wasn’t turning any redder than it already was.

He knew he’d have to face this question today, and furthermore, face Lucas today. But how was he going to prepare for something like that?

“I— Uh—”

“I took him on a picnic,” Lucas’ voice came from the door, and Will looked up to see his two other best friends.

Thankfully.

Or _unthankfully_?

The good thing was, Lucas could answer Dustin’s question now.

The bad thing was, Will still had no idea how to face Lucas. Plus, he didn’t know how much Lucas would tell the others.

“Hi, Will,” Lucas said bashfully.

His face was definitely getting redder.

“H-Hi, Lucas,” he managed to say before averting his eyes.

His heart was about to burst out of his chest.

“A picnic?” Dustin asked. “That’s it?”

“It was a nice picnic,” Will tried to defend the other boy. “I— Uh, I had a great time”.

He was still unable to look Lucas in the eye for long, so he decided to focus on Mike instead.

Which was a huge mistake on his part, because Mike could definitely see his blush.

The paladin furrowed his eyebrows and shot him a puzzled look, silently asking whether he was okay.

Will averted his eyes to the floor.

“Yeah, it was nice,” Lucas said before approaching him and Dustin. “You left your camera in my basket, by the way,” the boy crouched down and took out Will’s camera from his bag. “We took photos, if you guys want to see”.

That had certainly caught the attention of both Mike and Dustin, as they immediately circled around Lucas while he looked for the photos.

The boy had organized them in chronological order, with that photo of Will biting a cupcake on top.

Somehow he was the only one who didn’t go _aww_ at that.

These guys were idiots.

Whenever Lucas showed them a new photo, they all stopped for a while to listen to the story behind it.

In other words, most of the time, they stopped so the other two could listen to how Lucas and Will made fun of each other.

Well, Lucas did most of the talking. He still found it difficult to speak in front of Lucas, let alone tease the guy.

When they got to the last photo he’d taken — a picture of Lucas balancing a cupcake on an apple while holding said apple between his teeth (somehow he’d managed to convince Lucas to try that), Will had thought they had reached the end.

But as Lucas moved that photo to the back, Will’s heart skipped a beat as he realized there were more photos that Lucas had taken from that picnic.

The first picture was from a rather awkward angle. He could see himself dozing off leaning against Lucas, and half of his best friend’s face and a grin could be seen in the photo.

The next one, however, was a lot better, as both their faces were visible — Will was peacefully napping while Lucas was still wearing his wide grin.

There were a couple more photos from different angles before the content changed.

At first, Will was leaning against Lucas. However, after about five pictures, he had started to turn to the side. Two more photos and he had completely turned around, hugging Lucas’ torso while the other boy was trying to take as many shots as possible in that position.

“Oh god,” Will groaned, covering his face with both hands. He could feel it heating up right under his fingertips.

“What’s the matter, Will?” Dustin chuckled. “Too adorable for your own good?”

“Dustin,” he sighed, still not showing his face. “How the hell was _that_ adorable?”

“How was it _not_ adorable?” Mike asked, which only made him blush harder.

“If you had actually _been_ there, you would’ve known that he was irresistible,” Lucas told the other two.

“We already know he looks adorable when he sleeps,” Dustin scoffed. “That isn’t exactly news to any of us”.

Will gulped.

Was _that_ why?

Had Lucas kissed him because he looked… _adorable_ for a moment?

He cleared his throat and reluctantly put down his hands.

These guys.

“A-Anyway, thanks, Lucas,” he managed to say before taking the pictures from the taller boy. “I’m gonna work on the photo album later”.

“Wait, you bought a new photo album?” Mike raised an eyebrow.

“N-No, I got it from my secret admirer,” Will said sheepishly.

“Wait, I thought _that_ was from your secret admirer,” Dustin raised an eyebrow, gesturing Chester Jr. on his lap.

“The album was his gift _yesterday_ , Dusty,” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Call me that again and I will kick your ass,” Dustin warned.

Will sighed before standing up and walking to his table to put away the photos.

He’d work on the album later.

If he left these guys alone while he did it, his room would turn into a complete mess in no time.

Plus, their plan for today was to continue their movie marathon.

“Oh, by the way, Will,” Lucas turned back to him, “how did he give you the present today?”

Will’s face turned red again when Lucas addressed him.

The boy turned around and chuckled nervously at his friends.

“Uh, he left it on my desk again,” he said.

That had definitely caught the attention of Mike and Dustin. “What?” They said in unison.

“Yeah,” he smiled sheepishly, “he put the photo album on my desk as well. The notes are right here if you want to read it?” The boy offered before taking out the notes from the last two days and passed it to his friends.

One of these boys was faking it. One of them knew about all this already, and was feigning ignorance. But as he watched them carefully, determined to for any signs of a facade, none of them seemed to show any.

Yeah, the first thing he’d do when his admirer came out to him, would be to punch the guy really hard in the stomach for doing this.

Okay, maybe in the arm. He didn’t want to hurt any of them that much.

“So, one of us has been sneaking into Will’s room for the past two nights,” Dustin said, turning to the other two. “That’s a little creepy”.

“I think it’s only a little creepy,” Lucas shrugged. “Obviously if it was a stranger, I would suggest something else. But it’s more acceptable if it’s one of you”.

“Are you defending the admirer because it’s you?” Dustin raised an eyebrow.

“I’m saying that, if you break into my room in the middle of the night for whatever reason, I won’t call the police,” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“That’s because you love me,” Dustin grinned triumphantly.

“Keep dreaming, Henderson,” Lucas huffed.

While the two were still busy bickering, Mike had approached Will and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You were thrashing in your sleep?” Mike asked softly. “Did you have a nightmare?”

Will gave him a weak smile. “I don’t remember, Mike,” he shook his head. It was true that he didn’t remember what he’d dreamt about, but since he’d cried himself to sleep, it wasn’t too hard to guess. “It’s probably nothing”.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” The paladin said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Will’s heart fluttered at his friend’s gesture. Mike always cared so much about everyone. Well, maybe not everyone, but definitely all the Party members. Dustin had once told him that Mike had jumped off a cliff for the curly-haired boy. If it hadn’t been for Jane, their paladin wouldn’t have been here right now.

Yeah, Mike was sweet but he was also an idiot.

“I really don’t remember,” Will said softly. “But if I do, I will tell you immediately. How does that sound?”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Mike sent him a blinding smile and ruffled his hair before turning back to the other boys. “I also think it’s a little creepy, but that doesn’t matter now, does it? The only thing that matters is what Will thinks”.

All eyes were on Will again, and his face heated up again.

“I— Well, I don’t really mind if it’s one of you,” he said sheepishly. “I know you won’t do anything to me that I don’t want to, and waking up to presents does sound nice”.

Lucas had the smuggest smirk on his face, while Dustin’s eyes widened in surprise before the curly-haired boy shot their ranger a glare. “You brainwashed him yesterday!” He accused.

“Did not! Mike asked what Will thought, and you just heard it,” the other boy protested.

“You sure your secret admirer won’t try anything?” Mike asked as he turned to Will again with a soft smile on his lips. Mike’s lips were a little chapped due to his habit of biting it whenever he was agitated. Maybe Will sho— Wait, why was he thinking about Mike’s lips again?

“I trust you all with my life,” he cleared his throat and answered, his cheeks turned redder and redder.

“What if we all have ulterior motives?” Mike’s eyes had a playful glint, which made Will’s heart skip a beat.

What if—?

No!

But what—?

Mike was his best friend. He couldn’t be. None of them could.

But one of them had to be…

Will shook those thoughts away. Now was not a good time for that.

What were they talking about again?

Oh, right. _Ulterior motive_.

Will gulped and held his breath for a moment. “What makes you think I don’t?” He said with a shaky voice.

Shit.

What had he just done?

Oh god, what had he been doing the last two days?

Mike’s eyes widened before he burst out laughing, and— Was he blushing?

“Oh my god, Will, I didn’t know you had it in you,” he said, wiping his tears off.

“What? What did he say?” Dustin immediately turned to Mike.

“Something I bet you would _love_ to hear,” Mike snickered.

“Will, say it again,” Dustin pleaded.

Will adamantly shook his head, his face turned crimson red. No way he was gonna say that again. Not in a million years.

“What did you and Mike do yesterday?” He decided to change the topic.

Dustin’s cheeks heated up at that, which made Will raise his eyebrows.

What could possibly make the most playful boy of the Party blush?

“Y’know, nothing much,” Dustin shrugged, although he didn’t meet Will’s eyes. “We decided to get some fresh air and play video games at Mike’s”.

“Some fresh air, huh?” Lucas asked, sending the curly-haired boy an unimpressed look.

“I’ll tell you what we did,” Mike snickered. “This guy had the bri— Mmphff!”

Mike was immediately tackled to the bed by Dustin. The shorter boy was now sitting on their paladin’s torso, with one hand covering Mike’s mouth, and the other pinning both Mike’s arms down by his wrists.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re easy to trip, Wheeler?” Their bard snickered. “Well, you’re easy to shut up as well.

Mike glared at Dustin and tried to squirm away, but the shorter boy was heavier than him, so it was safe to assume that he wouldn’t be going anywhere soon.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Dustin smirked. “Or even _that_ . Keep licking if you want, but it was _my_ trick, do you really think it’ll work on me?”

Once again, Will shouldn’t have been thinking that this looked… hot.

Shit.

Where was his—?

A shutter sound snapped Will out of his whatever-that-was. Three pairs of eyes immediately turned to the source of that sound — Lucas with Will’s camera. “Oh, don’t mind me,” the dark-skinned boy snickered, “I was just taking photos for Will’s album”.

“He already has something like that,” Dustin scoffed.

“Well, then maybe he’ll let me keep this one,” the other boy said with a mischievous grin.

Will’s eyes met Lucas’ for a brief moment, and his cheeks turned red before they both looked away awkwardly.

“Uh, Dustin,” he cleared his throat, “let Mike go. I really want to know what you two did yesterday”.

Dustin huffed and got off Mike, wiping his palm on his pants.

“Jeez,” the raven-haired boy sighed as he sat up, “thanks, Will. As I was saying, this guy managed to drag me along on his quest to just _casually_ run into you guys. He saw Lucas’ car outside your house, but since no one was answering the landline, he figured you must’ve gone somewhere on foot, so we had a stakeout”.

“What?” Will’s eyes widened.

“You guys stayed out there in this weather unprepared?” Lucas asked in a disbelieving tone.

“Only until like, 2.30 or something,” Dustin scoffed, “because _that_ guy kept complaining about the cold. Then we really did head back to his house to play video games”.

“It _was_ cold,” Mike rolled his eyes. “If he hadn’t practically been a human heater, I would’ve dragged him back long ago”.

“I would love to say it was the stupidest idea he’s had this month, but he _did_ get us to swim in the quarry last Monday,” Lucas shrugged. “But how did _you_ manage to get dragged along?”

Mike’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “Well, turns out Will isn’t the only one who can pout”.

Will’s cheeks heated up when Mike mentioned his pouting. He cleared his throat and stood up awkwardly. “Okay, that’s enough for catching up. Movie marathon?” He suggested before walking towards the door. Lucas, however, had a different plan when he took Will’s wrist to stop him.

“Can you guys set it up? I want to ask Will something,” the ranger asked the other two.

Mike and Dustin both shot them a questioning look, but didn’t say anything as they walked outside, leaving the two alone in Will’s bedroom.

His heart was pounding in his chest, and he was unable to look anywhere but at his feet.

“I’m sorry,” Lucas said softly. “I shouldn’t have done that yesterday”.

Will looked up with wide eyes.

Why was Lucas saying sorry?

Will should’ve been the one saying sorry.

The taller boy held up a finger when he opened his mouth to protest.

“Let me finish it, please,” he said, looking at Will pleadingly, and the boy reluctantly nodded. “Okay, I shouldn’t have made you uncomfortable, but I did, and for that I’m sorry. I really don’t want that to affect us, though. Do you think we can still be friends?”

How could Lucas ask that? Of course they could still be friends. “I’m not gonna lose one of my best friends because of that,” Will said sheepishly. “Of course we can”.

Lucas gave him a warm smile. “So, can your best friend get a hug?”

Will chuckled softly and pulled the taller boy in for a quick embrace. Yeah, of course they could still be friends. He wouldn’t let go of any of them for the world.

“Anyway,” Lucas chuckled, “we should get back out there before Dustin pins Mike down again”.

“Oh my god,” Will let out a wholehearted laugh, “you’re right”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was the last chapter I had in advance. In other words, I can't guarantee being able to give you a chapter a day after this one.
> 
> Nonetheless, I've already had plans and general outlines for all the other chapters, so they'll be coming as soon as they're finished.
> 
> How do you think about this so far? Let me know in the comments below.
> 
> Also, this means if you want to suggest something (even the endgame ship), feel free to do it because it is possible for me to accept your ideas if I can find a way to incorporate them in my fic.


	11. Monday, December 10th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone! Sorry for the late update, but there was a little delay in the proofreading department.
> 
> Hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy!

The first thing Will did after waking up was to bury his face into Chester Jr.

Monday. School again.

He’d rather stay here and hug his new plushie all day.

The second thing he did was to reach for his phone on his bedside table to check the time.

6.30am. Not too early.

But as his brain slowly woke up, a frown slowly appeared on his face, since his fingers had brushed up against _something_ when retrieving the phone.

He groggily sat up and looked down at his nightstand.

And as he did that, a sleepy smile plastered across his face when he noticed the familiar red wrapping with sky blue polka dots, and sitting neatly on top of it was the cream-colored card.

His secret admirer had dropped by again.

Not only that, he had definitely taken what Will had said yesterday about ‘waking up to presents’ and had put the gift as close to him as possible.

What an idiot.

As always, he chuckled and reached for the note.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I swear, you cuddling Chester Jr. was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. You definitely have to let one of us take a photo of that. Or a dozen. I’m sure everyone would back me up on this._ **
> 
> **_If you agree to give us a chance, I hope I can hug you the same way you hug your plushie too._ **
> 
> **_And perhaps we can do other things than cuddling as well._ **
> 
> **_Okay, I’m kidding._ **
> 
> **_Or am I?_ **
> 
> **_Guess we’ll have to see._ **
> 
> **_Happy December 10th! Christmas is just half a month away. I’m really excited and nervous whenever I think about that._ **
> 
> **_It’s getting colder every day now. I hope you dress warm before leaving the house._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

After ten days, one would think they would get used to these by now.

Yet after ten days, Will’s face still resembled a tomato after reading the note.

This guy was as playful as Dustin, as romantic as Lucas, and as caring as Mike. He knew it had to be one of them, but this felt like a whole other person.

And he was falling for this person as well.

Will sighed before putting the note down before picking up his present and carefully unwrapping it to prevent damaging the paper.

When he finally did it, the boy couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Really? ‘Dress warm’? When the gift was a sweater?

It was almost as if he was saying ‘please wear this to school today’.

And why wouldn’t he? It looked adorable.

It was a hazelnut sweater with a white zigzag and polka dot pattern running around the chest, and floral pattern down around the waist.

The boy immediately tried it on, and it was the softest sweater he’d ever worn.

Well, softest _new_ sweater he’d ever worn. Mike’s sweaters were soft too.

It didn’t fit him perfectly, but instead, it was a little big on him, just enough so that he could draw his hands inside the sleeves if they got cold.

And, although difficult to notice, it also had a faint familiar scent as well. This was undoubtedly a new sweater, but his secret admirer had probably hidden it among his own clothes.

The scent was too faint for Will to make a connection with any of his friends, though.

He supposed it couldn’t have been that easy.

Nonetheless, the sweater was nice and comfortable, and Will felt like his admirer was wrapping his arms around him, keeping him warm on this rather cold day.

The boy chuckled softly and shook his head.

Time to get ready for school.

 

~~***** ***** *****~~

 

“Looking good, Byers,” Lucas said with a wide grin as Will got to the bike rack.

“Unless you went shopping at seven in the morning, I take it that this is today’s gift?” Dustin asked, smirking playfully as he slung his arm over Will’s shoulder.

Will’s face turned pink and he bit his lips nervously. He had known the sweater would’ve caught the attention of his friends, but he’d hoped that they wouldn’t make a scene of it.

“Calm down, guys,” Mike chuckled on his other side. “He just got here, let him breathe”.

Will sent Mike a grateful smile. The boy always seemed to know when to swoop in to help.

“Yeah, it’s from him,” Will finally said. It felt a little weird using a third-person pronoun to talk about one of them when all three of them were here, but he didn’t have a better idea. “He came again last night”. His secret admirer had come, left the sweater, and wrote Will a note saying that he would like to cuddle him, and possibly do _other things_ with him… Will’s face was probably hot enough to fry an egg now.

“What did he do to you last night?” Dustin asked. The boy hadn’t missed his crimson face and was now wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. The other two had also turned their full attention to him, and it did nothing to help Will calm down.

“N-Nothing,” he said weakly. “He just— He, uh, wrote something”.

“Is it something we can safely read in school?”

“Is it safe for work?”

Dustin’s question was a little less sugar-coated than Mike’s, but they had basically asked the same thing.

Will sighed and retrieved his drawing binder from his backpack, searching it until he found today’s note, and passed it to the boys.

He’d been putting all the notes in his binder anyway, so it wasn’t like he had to do extra work to bring those notes for the boys now that they were pretty much home delivered.

“Well, _someone_ wants to get frisky with you,” Mike rolled his eyes at the other two. “I suggest this secret admirer keep it in his pants”.

“Yeah?” Dustin raised an eyebrow. “I bet _you_ are the secret admirer, and you’ve been acting the whole time”.

“How much are you willing to bet, then?” Mike shot Dustin a challenging look.

“So, there are two more weeks before you finally know who this person is,” Lucas said from his spot next to Mike, ignoring the bickering that had already started. “Do you have any idea which of us it is?”

Will shook his head lightly. “I don’t know,” he said softly. “It felt like it couldn’t be any of you, so I don’t really have any idea”.

“Do you have someone you want it to be?” Lucas asked again.

Will’s cheeks turned pink at the question.

“Not really,” he shook his head bashfully. “I try not to think of any of you like that since you’re all straight”.

By the look the three gave him, you’d think he’d just confessed that he’d illegally hatched a dragon from an egg he’d won in a game of poker in a shady bar. Or maybe something even worse.

“I swear, Will, you are really, _really_ oblivious,” Dustin groaned.

“Why do you all keep saying that?” Will huffed. That definitely hadn't been the first time he’d heard that, and something told him that it wouldn’t be the last time, either. 

“Nothing, Will,” Mike sent him a warm smile. “Let’s get to class, then”.

 

~~***** ***** *****~~

 

Will usually ended up being alone on Monday afternoon.

Well, he wouldn’t have had to, if Hawkins high had an art club for him to join. Drama club met on Monday afternoons, and considering how Lucas and Max — the two other members of their Party who weren’t in drama club — also had debate club to go to, Will was the only one who didn’t have anything to do after school. It didn’t bother him much, though, since Mike, Dustin, and Jane always asked whether he wanted to tag along and sat in the background, and sometimes he did. Today, however, he’d opted for finding a quiet place to draw, which, in this case, was his favorite corner in the library. It was hidden from view, so no one would be able to find him unless they knew he was there, and as he sat cross-legged against the wall, he would be able to spot anyone approaching, and, depending on what he was drawing, hide his work before they spotted him (like that time he’d drawn him and Dustin dancing at homecoming, and the whole Party had decided to just casually drop by to check up on him).

Today, he’d decided to draw something for Max and Jane, since his attention lately had been on the boys a little more than them, due to the fact that they’d all go to New York together, and the revelation that one of them was his secret admirer.

Not that it was a good reason, but it was a reason nonetheless.

The idea for this drawing had come naturally, and a smile plastered on his face as his hand brought his thought to life. He drew Jane and Max together at homecoming, dancing together to some slow music. None of the people around them cared or minded, and in their eyes, none of the people around them mattered, just the one person right in front of them. He wished that could happen in real life, and maybe to him as well, but Hawkins was a small town with small minded people, so even if the whole world was okay with it, people like him, like them, would always be singled out. Although he doubted either of the girls would be the target of any cruel scheme — not if the people planning those schemes valued their lives. Max and Jane were the fiercest people he knew, and the whole school knew that. Furthermore, nobody messed with the daughter of the police chief.

This was the reason Will loved drawing so much. With just a pencil, and occasionally some colors, he could capture any moment in an alternate reality — a perfect one where everything was good and right, and they could all be themselves without having to worry about the world, or at the very least, their own safety. Maybe that was the reason Mike loved writing and being the dungeon master for their campaigns so much as well. While Will was able to capture moments, Mike could create worlds and universes, walking people through adventures, and touching their hearts and souls with just his words. It was a powerful and magical thing, being able to show people something that existed in your mind.

When his phone vibrated, signaling that everyone else would finish with their clubs and come looking for him soon, he quickly put away his stuff before heading out of the library. The drawing was nowhere near finished, but he could always continue later. Worst case scenario, he would show the girls after they’d all come back from their respective trips.

Speaking of trips, the girls were going to California with Jim and his mom, which meant that, like his mom, they would also leave after school on Friday. He still hadn’t gotten a single photo of them yet. They all really needed to hang out together sometime before Friday. Maybe they could do Wednesday or Thursday, since asking someone to join them less than a day ahead was a little rude. He would have to bring his camera to school, though, since the Party usually hung out in Mike’s basement. He could also ask them to hang out at his place instead, but since they’d been spending almost every day there lately, it would be nice to hang out somewhere else for a change.

“Well, well well,” a voice came from behind Will, making him freeze in his track, “what do we have here?”

Will gulped and slowly turned around.

How did he get so unlucky?

Of all the people and places in the world, he had to run into the worst bully at school in an empty hallway.

“Cat got your tongue, Byers?” Troy sneered and took one step forward.

Will took a step backward. The small boy’s eyes darted back and forth, trying to assess his situation and come up with possible solutions.

For instance, he could just stand there and hope that today was a good day and Troy would leave him alone.

Yeah… He was not _that_ stupid.

He could also turn around and run as fast as he could.

Pros and cons.

Pros. It was pretty much a straight path so he wouldn’t have to worry about turning too much, and he might be able to get away if he started running now.

Cons. There was literally nowhere to hide, he would be running away from the exit, one false turn and he would run into a dead end, and knowing his speed and skills, he wouldn’t be able to outrun the bully.

The odds were definitely against him on that.

He could also wait until Troy got close enough, knee him in the dick and run towards the opposite direction.

He would’ve punched Troy in the stomach, but he needed it to be as painful as possible, and his punches couldn’t even hurt a fly. Also, it was more difficult to predict and prevent being kneed in the dick.

Pros. The element of surprise and the pain might give him a big enough head start to get away. Plus, there were plenty of places to hide in that direction, and there would be even more hiding spots if he managed to get outside.

Cons. He would have to let Troy get close to him. Way too close.

A high risk high reward option, and frankly, his best option right now.

“What do you want?” Will asked using the bravest voice he could muster.

“Where are your boyfriends, zombie boy?” Troy asked, his smirk grew wider and more sinister. The bully walked closer and closer to Will before pulling out from his pocket…

Shit.

A pocket knife.

Abort! Abort!

Will immediately turned on his heels and started running away. There was no way he could go against a knife. He loved his life too much for that.

The boy knew that was it for him when he felt someone yanking him back by his backpack. Suddenly, he was thrown against the wall, his head hitting hard against the metal panel that was someone’s locker door, making him see stars. Before he could even check to see if his head was alright, an arm was on his chest, pinning him against the lockers.

“Troy, please, you don’t have to do this,” Will tried reasoning with the other boy.

“Shut the fuck up!” Troy growled, and the shorter boy could feel something sharp pressed against his stomach. He immediately stopped talking.

Believe it or not, the only thought in his mind right now was that he hoped the bully wouldn’t damage his sweater. It was obviously the stupidest thought ever, but this was the sweater his secret admirer had given him. He couldn’t forgive himself if anything happened to it.

“Fucking fairy,” Troy spat, “you seem happier lately. Did you finally get enough dick in that little mouth?”

Will could feel the tip of the knife moving slowly from his stomach up to his chest and had to hold back a whimper. He might’ve lost, but he wouldn’t let the bully have the satisfaction.

“Scream. Make a sound. I fucking dare you,” Troy said in a dangerously low voice. He was too close to Will, the smaller boy could literally feel the bully’s hot breath on his skin. “Someone needs to put you back in your fucking place”.

Will could feel the knife moving up to his lips now. He shut his eyes, not wanting to let the sadistic asshole in front of him see how scared he truly was.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want to open up? This isn’t thick enough for you?” The bully sneered. “I bet your fucking faggot friends will thank me if I cut those filthy lips off you. Make it easier for them to shove their dicks in your mouth”.

Will was prepared for the pain, but it never came. Instead, he felt the bully being yanked away from him. His knees gave out on him, and he would’ve collapsed onto the ground if a pair of arms hadn’t caught him.

“Shh, it’s okay, Will. You’re okay,” Lucas’ voice was soothing, and it helped him calm down tremendously. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

He and Lucas were both sitting on the floor, with the taller boy pulling him in protectively and stroking his back gently.

Not too far away, Mike was pinning Troy against the locker, with Dustin next to him holding the pocket knife against the bully.

Will had never seen either of them that angry before, and he would never want to be on the receiving end of those looks.

He hadn’t even noticed them approaching Will and Troy.

He couldn’t concentrate on what Mike and Dustin were saying to the bully, but he thought Mike’d said something about a broken arm, and Dustin had mentioned something about craziness. Troy looked at both Mike and Dustin in utter disgust but didn’t do anything. The bully immediately left when Mike finally shoved him away. Dustin still kept the pocket knife, though.

“Is he okay?” Mike asked softly when the other two finally approached Will.

“A little shaken, but it’s Will,” Lucas said, as if _it’s Will_ was a totally logical and reasonable explanation.

“I’m sorry, Will,” Dustin said as he knelt down next to Will. “We should’ve never let you go to the library”.

Will shook his head and took a shaky breath before giving Dustin a small smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Dustin. I wanted to go to the library. None of you could’ve seen that coming”.

“Do you think you can tell us what happened?” Mike asked tentatively. “It’s okay if you don’t want to or can’t”.

“Later. I promise,” Will said softly. “But what did you tell him that made him run away like that?”

“We just reminded him that we have a crazy friend,” Dustin said with a smile. “I really hope this won’t ever happen again”.

They just sat there for a while until Will finally felt like he could stand up. “Where’s Max and Jane? I wanted to ask them something”.

“We told them to wait for us in the AV room while we went to get you,” Mike said softly and held out a hand to help Will stand up. Will didn’t hesitate to take it.

“You know, Mike,” Will hummed, “that was the first time I saw you pinning someone instead of being pinned”.

Mike’s face turned red as he scrunched his face. “God, Will, do you really have to bring that up?”

Lucas chuckled.

Dustin snickered and poked Mike playfully with his elbow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm fairly certain that there won't be a new chapter tomorrow, since I won't be able to write that fast. Hopefully one will be up on Wednesday.
> 
> Do you think Troy would try something again soon despite the little reminder, or do you think he'll wait until later (let's say, the sequel)?
> 
> And as always, your comments are very appreciated, and I will try my best to respond to everyone.


	12. Tuesday, December 11th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good day everyone! I sincerely apologize for such a late update. I blame finals and procrastination and some personal things I had to deal with.
> 
> Nonetheless, the next chapter is here, so I hope it's worth the wait.

“Shh, Will, you have to let go”.

“…”

“It’s not time yet. I can’t stay here”.

“...”

“I promise you’ll know who I am soon, but not now”.

“...”

“Good night, Will”.

“...”

 

~~***** **** *****~~

 

Will woke up that morning feeling empty.

He’d had the weirdest dream ever.

He’d dreamt about being a prince, living in a castle, and attending his masquerade ball. The ball, albeit being nice, had been quite bland, until someone had approached him and asked to dance with him. The person — a duke — had been a head taller than him, with black wavy hair, dark brown eyes, and rather pale skin. Despite it being a masquerade ball and everyone wearing a mask, he would’ve recognized that form, that smile, and those eyes anywhere. So he’d said yes, like he had all those years ago. So they’d danced to a slow song, and he’d rested his head on the duke’s shoulder, and everything had felt good and right. But when he’d lifted his head up a moment later, he’d been met with a beautiful pair of blue eyes. Somehow, the duke he’d been dancing with had changed, now being just about two inches taller than him, with curly blonde hair and a signature mischievous grin. The song they’d danced to had also changed into a more upbeat song, and their dance had been filled with laughter, and a lot of lifting and spinning. As he’d spun back, the song had changed, and the next moment, he’d been swaying to the slow music looking up into the chocolate-skin boy’s warm eyes. The boy had leaned in and whispered a cheesy compliment to him, and he’d blushed and called said boy a sap.

But then the dream had shifted again, and Will had found himself dancing with someone wearing a full face mask. The guy had been familiar — really familiar — with their movements and their gestures and just everything about them. But it couldn’t have been one of the three dukes, because they had all been standing in the background and clapping politely.  _ Politely _ . That had been all. Not  _ warmly _ , not  _ cheerfully _ , just  _ politely _ . But right that moment, the bell had chimed, and the masked guy had run away, despite his attempt to stop him, only leaving him a promise that he’d know his identity soon.

Now, Will wasn’t an expert in decoding dreams, but it wasn’t too difficult to guess what that meant.

First, it meant he should totally blame whoever it was that had decided to show Cinderella on TV last night.

Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it.

Next, his dream had definitely told him to stop pushing his problems away.

He had feelings for all three of his friends, he could admit that. But he also had feelings for this secret admirer too.

Granted, the admirer was one of the three, but at the moment, he felt like it was a whole other person.

And what would happen when his secret admirer finally came out to him?

Of course he would say yes, and they would start dating.

But that would change the whole dynamic of the Party.

He was sure the other two wouldn’t be as distant as they’d felt in his dream, but they still wouldn’t be able to be normal anymore. No more afternoons with Lucas and Dustin using Mike’s laps as pillows. No more movie nights with them all snuggling up against each other. No more fighting over who would get to sit next to him, because obviously, that would be his secret admirer’s spot.

But most importantly, his other two friends would know that another Party member was queer.

He supposed they already knew that now. They just didn’t know which of them it was.

Will knew the other two would still support both of them, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be weirded out somewhat. He knew how lonely it was when he’d thought he’d been the only one in the Party, but now, more than half of the Party liked people of the same sex. Had the other two felt alone? Would they feel like they suddenly didn’t have anyone to talk to about girls anymore?

All those thoughts almost made him forget about his gift of the day.

Almost.

Once he sat up, his eyes landed on the gift next to his nightstand. This one was rather big and flat, twice the size of a laptop and half the thickness of one, and was leaning against his bedside table, probably because it would’ve taken too much space if it’d been on top of it. However, what on top of the table was the familiar cream colored piece of paper. And like always, Will gave a soft smile as he picked up the note first.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I guess I made a right choice with that color and pattern. The sweater looked amazing on you._ **
> 
> **_You are really kind and sweet, Will. You can lighten up anyone’s day just by smiling at them._ **
> 
> **_But at the same time, you can be fierce and tenacious as well, especially when facing tough situations. I’ve always admired that about you._ **
> 
> **_When I put down your present earlier, you held onto my shirt and didn’t want to let go. I hope it was a good sign for me._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 11th day of December. Two more weeks to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will’s cheeks turned beet red.

He’d grabbed onto his admirer’s shirt.

The real admirer. Not the one in his dream.

If he hadn’t let go so easily, he probably would’ve known who that was by now.

That had been the closest thing he’d ever gotten to finding out the admirer’s identity.

He let out a frustrated groan.

Couldn’t the secret admirer just tell him that already? He didn’t have to say it in the notes, but he could leave some kind of signs for him. Will wouldn’t even let the others know. He was great at acting surprised, after all. Two years ago, Dustin had let it slip that they’d been planning a surprise birthday party for him, and nobody would’ve known it if said boy hadn’t let it slip  _ again _ that he’d let that slip in the first place, after convincing Will to not let the others know about it.

He snapped back to the present as his eyes landed on, well,  _ the present _ currently leaning against his nightstand.

Somehow, his secret admirer had managed to give him great presents for ten days straight. And somehow, he had never been able to guess his gift of the day, although yesterday his guess  _ had _ been ‘some sort of clothing’.

Well, today, his guess would’ve been some sort of magazine, if the size of this gift hadn’t been around twice that of a notebook.

And he wasn’t that off the mark either.

It was a large sketchbook.

This sketchbook was twice the size of his own, so he definitely wouldn’t bring it to school to show the others. That was partly why he didn’t have any sketchbook that size, after all (the other reason being the large ones cost more than the small ones).

The cover had a simple blue and black stripe pattern. It might not have been the most impressive sketchbook he’d ever seen, but Will wasn’t one to judge a book by its cover, and in this case, he did mean it literally. He could tell that the paper was of high quality, and on the first page, there was a neat line written in the all too familiar metallic gold ink he’d seen in each and every one of his notes.

 

**_So you don’t have to wait for Friday’s art class anymore._ **

 

Well, at least one of them (although he suspected that all of them) had noticed how he almost always went with the large sketchbook they were allowed to use in art class.

And his secret admirer had decided to buy him his own sketchbook so he could use it anytime.

If he knew who this was from, he would give the guy a bone-crushing hug the moment he saw him.

But again, he’d told himself that every single time he’d opened a new present.

He knew he was falling more and more for this secret admirer, but he couldn’t help it.

If somehow a stranger knew about this and was okay with him being with another boy, they would still judge him for being shallow and falling for people because they bought him gifts, but to him, it was more than that. It was the message behind each gift, the subtle clue that his secret admirer had paid attention to the little details, and understood Will even when he hadn’t said anything. But luckily for him, the only people who knew about this were the people in the Party, and he knew they would understand.

 

~~***** **** *****~~

 

“So you’re afraid that our Party wouldn’t be the same anymore once the secret admirer came out?” Mike whispered.

Being in high school, it was impossible for them all to share every class together, but they’d managed to at least share most classes with at least another member of the Party. The second period on Tuesday was Will’s period with Mike, and the raven-haired boy hadn’t missed the troubled look on Will’s face when they’d met before class, so they were now exchanging whispers at the back of the classroom, while their teacher was rambling on and on about some historic battles.

It had always been easy, sharing his worries with Mike. Sometimes he’d get some advice, other times a promise or two. There were times when even Mike couldn’t think of a solution, but that didn’t stop him from sharing, because just the fact that he could share things with someone was already more than enough for him. He would’ve shared things with Dustin and Lucas as well, but sometimes he had a feeling they wouldn’t understand him. Mike always did, and he’d always say something that would make everything better.

“I know it hadn’t changed anything when Max and Jane became a thing, but they’d already had a special bond between them even before that,” Will sighed. It was true. Maybe it had been on purpose, maybe it hadn’t, but Max and Jane had always had those little  _ girl stuff _ moments, and those sleepovers with just the two of them. Obviously, neither Jim nor Max’s parents would let them have a sleepover with four teenage boys, so that had been unavoidable. “The four of us have always been a group. I’m not sure what would happen if we suddenly became two and two. What if we drifted apart? What if it created something awkward between us?”

Mike contemplated Will’s words for a while before smiling softly at him. “It won’t happen,” the taller boy said confidently. “I know it won’t, because none of us would let that happen. Not you, not me, not Lucas, and definitely not Dustin. I know you guys are the most important thing to me, so there’s no way I’m gonna let you go anywhere. Your secret admirer, whichever one of us that is, also knows how much you love the Party. I don’t think someone who keeps reminding you that he loves you every single day would let something so precious to you drift away. And most importantly, I know  _ you _ would never let that happen. Not without a fight. And we all know how good you are as a fighter”.

Will couldn’t help but blush at Mike’s words. Their dungeon master always knew what to say to make everything better. There was nothing but sincerity in Mike’s voice whenever he promised Will, or anyone in the Party, for that matter, anything. The unofficial Party leader would literally put his life on the line for any of them (although Will would strongly prefer him not to).

“Thanks, Mike,” Will said sheepishly. “You always know what to say to cheer us up”.

“I’ll tell you a secret,” Mike chuckled softly, “I actually don’t. Most of the time I just say what’s on my mind and cross my fingers”.

“Well, either way, it’s working,” Will rolled his eyes affectionately, “so thank you. I feel like I can talk to you about anything”.

“In that case, wanna elaborate on the whole  _ ‘grabbing onto your secret admirer’s shirt’ _ thing?” Mike grinned. “I wanted to ask you when you showed us the note, but it didn’t seem like you were in the mood to answer that earlier”.

When Will had said he could talk to Mike about anything, he’d meant that anything  _ but this _ .

He hadn’t told Mike about his dream. How could he, when that dream would’ve let Mike know about his crushes?

“I guess I must’ve felt his presence somehow,” Will said bashfully. He wasn’t lying, though. That had probably affected his dream somewhat and made him dream of those things.

“I see,” Mike hummed. Will didn’t know whether that meant the paladin was satisfied with the answer or he was able to tell that Will didn’t want to elaborate, but the raven-haired boy didn’t ask any more questions, and Will was extremely grateful for that.

 

~~***** **** *****~~

 

They ended up hanging out in the AV room after school.

By ‘they’, Will meant him, Lucas, and Mike.

Max and Jane had disappeared once again to prepare for their trip to California. However, they  _ had _ promised to hang out tomorrow, so Will thought it was a success.

And Dustin was currently with his Mythology club. This would be his last meeting of the year, so the curly-haired boy wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Well, that wasn’t very true, since he knew Dustin would’ve ditched his club if he (or any of the others, really) had asked him to. But none of them had, because they all knew how much Dustin loved those meetings.

Technically, their AV club would have a meeting every week on Wednesday, but since all the club members were in their Party, they were able to hang out in their clubroom — the AV room — whenever they wanted to.

Will suspected that Mike and Lucas had chosen to hang out in the AV room because they didn’t want another run-in with Troy or any of his goons. He didn’t have any problems with that, though.

Mike was working on his English assignment, while Lucas, having nothing to do, was messing around with the setting on Dustin’s device, as if the curly-haired boy would show up and scold him if he did it long enough.

Will, as usual, was trying to capture that moment in his small sketchbook (he had decided to call it that to distinguish it from the big sketchbook he’d just received from his secret admirer). He was able to do it in a relatively short amount of time, since he’d been having  _ a lot _ of practice drawing the boys.

“You know he’s gonna flip tomorrow, right?” Mike finally asked Lucas as he put away his homework. “He’s definitely gonna hurt you tomorrow when he sees that you’ve messed with his frequency setting”.

“Are you worried about me being hurt, or are you worried about Dustin being upset?” Lucas chuckled. “As if you have never done anything to rile him up”.

“Yeah, about that,” Will cleared his throat, “why do you guys always do that?”

Both boys looked at Will before chuckling softly and getting up from their seats to approach him.

“Well, it’s fun seeing him all riled up, don’t you think?” Lucas asked with a wink.

“If you look closely, you’ll see him blushing a little whenever that happens,” Mike said with a chuckle.

“Don’t tell him we said this, though, but that  _ does _ look adorable on him,” Lucas smirked.

“We do try to not actually upset him, though,” Mike smiled, “just some harmless bickering”.

“Who’s bickering?” Dustin’s voice made them all turn their head towards the door. Their bard had just walked inside with his backpack slung over his shoulder lazily.

Mike winked at Will before turning back to Dustin. “Oh, nothing,” he shrugged before his hand flew up and ruffled Dustin’s hair.

“Oh, fuck off, Wheeler,” Dustin huffed, “I just got here”.

“Not our fault you have an extra club day,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “And that was his welcome, Dusty”.

“Call me that again and I promise you I will stab you with my pen,  _ Lukey _ ,” the curly-haired boy glared.

As Mike and Lucas ganged up on their bard, Will finally noticed what the other two had talked about earlier — Dustin’s cheeks were turning salmon pink. He would’ve said that looked adorable, but he thought Dustin looked adorable all the time, so it wasn’t really a new statement.

However, it was getting pretty late, so Will approached the three and took Mike’s wrist, gently dragging him away. “Come on, guys, we can do this at home,” he chuckled. The other two also followed him, but they didn’t stop their bickering, not even when they finally reached their bikes.

He supposed Lucas and Mike had had tons of experience in keeping the bickering going.

These idiots.

When he finally unlocked his bike, something cold landed on his nose.

“Shit,” Dustin cursed under his breath, “it’s snowing”.

They all looked up to the sky as the first snowflakes of the season slowly floated down in a rather magical way.

Snow.

When he’d just returned from the upside down, Will had hated snow.

It had reminded him of the eerie floating things he’d seen back there.

When he’d gotten away from the Mind Flayer’s grasp, he’d hated snow even more.

Not only had the sight of it reminded him of the upside down, but the freezing touch of it had also reminded him of the monster that had once been inside of him.

Will remembered coming to Mike one night last Christmas and telling him about it. The raven-haired boy had been so kind and patient, listening to his problem and trying to find a solution.

It had taken them both a while, but finally, Will had been able to connect snow to something not from that world — as Mike had suggested.

He’d done a thorough research on snow, trying to give it a meaning he loved, so the next time he saw it, he wouldn’t have to think about those bad memories anymore.

Right now, one of those things about snow he’d read about came up more clearly than anything else.

There was a saying, he couldn’t remember where, that if you watched the first snow of the season with someone you loved, you would have a happy ending with them.

As the boys watched the little snowflakes fall in silence, Will’s eyes darted towards his three friends.

Would he? Have a happy ending?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also want to inform all my readers that I'll be going on a vacation until early January. I'll try to write in my free time, but don't expect anything before 2019.
> 
> I also want to assure you that I'm not gonna drop this, so I hope you won't either.
> 
> Now with that out of the way, what do you think about this chapter? Anything I need to improve? Any errors or mistakes I need to fix? Don't hesitate to leave a comment.


	13. Wednesday, December 12th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!
> 
> In addition to the great news that season 3 will be released on JULY 4TH MARK YOUR CALENDAR NON-AMERICAN FOLKS here is the next chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> Enjoy ;)

Will could say that today was a special day.

Not necessarily the most special day of the month, since there were a lot of special days in this particular December, but a special day nonetheless.

Today was the first day of the month the Party finally hung out together after school.

With Max and Jane constantly having to prepare for their trip to California, it was almost impossible for them to gather, but he’d finally managed to persuade them to set aside a day for the whole Party.

Not that they hadn’t been hanging out every day at school, but, as nerdy as he was, Will didn’t consider hanging out at school the same as at other places.

Furthermore, he’d get to take photos of the girls today at Mike’s place.

Yesterday, when the guys had left his house, he had entrusted Mike with the task of bringing his camera back to the Wheelers’ and keeping it safe, since he didn’t want to risk bringing it to school today. Of course, he’d threatened Mike a little, but since his best friend had only chuckled and ruffled his hair, he doubted he’d been too intimidating.

As he slowly sat up, his gaze instinctively moved to his nightstand, and he sighed contentedly at the sight of the familiar gift and the cream-colored note.

As usual, he reached for the note first.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I can’t believe I’m almost halfway through this. I feel like time is passing by too slow and too fast at the same time._ **
> 
> **_Meeting you has been one of the best things that have ever happened in my life, and I’m sure it’ll be the same if you ask me that question in 10 years._ **
> 
> **_I noticed that you didn’t like snow too much in recent years, and I’m so glad that you seem to like it again now. The look on your face yesterday, when you looked up at the sky, melted my heart._ **
> 
> **_I want to let you know that today’s present is perfectly safe, and I didn’t plan to trick you or make you suffer in any way._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 12th of December, my love. Only 13 days to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

When he finished reading the note, Will was blushing furiously.

He suspected his admirer knew how red he’d turn if he used _those two words_. That was probably why the guy had used it.

Well, either that or he just enjoyed calling Will that, but Will had come to the conclusion that it was the former.

Aside from that, he couldn’t help but look at the wrapped package warily.

‘Perfectly safe’? Was it supposed to look dangerous? Was it actually dangerous?

It was around 12 inches tall and had a cylindrical shape that looked like a jar, and when he picked it up, he decided that it was a jar of something solid, based on the rattling sound it made when he shook it.

A jar of marbles, maybe?

But why would his admirer give him a jar of marbles, and why would he have to ensure Will that it was ‘perfectly safe’?

It wasn’t doing him any good, sitting there and guessing, so he decided to just open it and hope nothing bad would surprise him.

And when he did, he finally understood what his secret admirer had meant by ‘perfectly safe’.

His present of the day was a jar of Jelly Belly, except that it was filled with only one color bean.

Will thought back to one day that summer, when Lucas had brought a Bean Boozled box to their Party hangout day. He remembered almost being poisoned by some horrible flavor beans, but also being pleasantly surprised by other. His favorite flavor was Buttered Popcorn, but sadly it looked the same as a Rotten Egg bean, and as Dustin had put it, _nobody would ever kiss someone who had just eaten the rotten egg flavor for a million bucks_.

Well, apparently one of the boys had remembered that.

He also assumed there was no rotten egg flavor in this jar, especially when he found another note, surprisingly, stuck to the inside of the wrapping paper.

 

**_Tell Dustin there’s a separate Rotten Egg bag, and you’ve mixed them all together, and that only you know how to distinguish one from the other if you don’t want him to eat them all before you get the chance to (;_ **

 

Will chuckled softly, especially at the little wink at the end.

They all know he would never do that, and he wouldn’t mind Dustin, or any of them for that matter, having some of his sweets.

His secret admirer was an idiot.

But then again, all his boys were.

 

~~**** ***** ****~~

 

“So, you guys still on for hanging out later at my place?” Mike asked the girls when they all sat down at their usual lunch table.

“Expecting us to ditch you guys?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking a little. “Or are you secretly missing us and looking forward to spending time with us?”

“You wish,” Mike huffed. “I just don’t want Will to be upset because you guys are busy once again. _He_ is the one looking forward to spending time with you. I only missed Jane”.

“You know you love me, Wheeler,” Max snickered.

“Don’t mistake tolerance for love, Mayfield,” Mike said, rolling his eyes.

“Toleration is fine, as long as you still can’t beat any of my high scores,” Max said smugly.

Everyone else had learned to not engage in this particular topic whenever Max brought it up, since nothing good would come out of it anyway. Jane was just sitting there next to Max, silently enjoying her lunch and especially not caring about her girlfriend’s daily bickering with her ex-boyfriend. Dustin and Lucas were discussing the answers to the test they’d just had before lunch — the test Will believed he’d flunked. But there was nothing he could change now anyway, so he didn’t think it was important to argue about which method was more efficient. Instead, he’d opted to sit there and blush, since Mike had mentioned that he’d asked that question for him.

“Are you one hundred percent sure that they’re all buttered popcorn flavor?” Dustin interrupted his own conversation to ask Will for the sixth time that morning.

“Because you see, you can’t be sure until you try every last one of them,” Dustin pointed out. “They could all be buttered popcorn flavor but one, hiding somewhere in the bottom of the jar, waiting for you to let your guard down before striking mercilessly, overwhelming your every sense with that rotten egg smell”.

Will couldn’t help but chuckle at Dustin’s dramatic thought. Somehow, each of his friends was dramatic in their own special way, but the bard’s way was the one that showed the most often. “I _can_ be sure because I trust my secret admirer,” Will said softly. “He’s one of you, and I trust that none of you will ever try to poison me like that”.

“Can’t argue with that,” Lucas said and smiled at both of them. “Anyway, what do you guys want to do after school today? You know, asides from Will taking some photos of the girls”.

“I’m thinking we should rewatch Back To The Future,” Dustin grinned. “It’s been ages since we last watched that”.

“It’s been three months,” Jane said nonchalantly.

“My point exactly,” Dustin shrugged. “So, after school, we can go and grab some microwaved popcorn and snacks and drinks and—”

“Veto!” Max interrupted. “I’m not spending the only day together with you guys staring at a screen, no offense to you and your plan”.

Whatever conversation she’d had with Mike had clearly ended, since the paladin was now sulkily having lunch next to Will.

“You don’t have enough points to veto,” Dustin protested.

“I’m coming to this hangout, aren’t I?” Max rolled her eyes. “So I, in fact, _do_ have enough points to veto. If you don’t let me now, I’ll just do it when we’re at Mike’s place”.

The whole point system was something Dustin had come up with the summer they became high schoolers. It acted as a kind of currency among the Party. It cost one hundred points per veto. They earned fifty points whenever they came to a Party hangout. Each month the points were reset, and the one with the most points the previous month earned a hundred points. More points could be granted to people in other cases, such as if the whole group agreed that one should be rewarded for a generous or selfless act, or if they participated in a game, or a bunch of other things. Dustin’s ideas had never been the simplest ones. And since Max had tied with Mike for having the most points the previous month, each of them had been awarded fifty points. That had been how Max had barely accumulated enough points for a veto when there hadn’t been any chance for them to earn points prior to this.

“Fine, then what do you suggest we should do?” The curly-haired boy scowled.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Max asked smugly. “It might be the only time I get to participate in a hangout this month, so I’m gonna make as many points as possible. I love having fifty more points than the rest of you on New Year”.

“So, Truth or Dare, then?” Lucas asked.

“Truth or Dare,” Jane repeated.

Mike only let out a huffed to acknowledge that he’d heard them.

Will knew how to coax Mike out of this mood, so it was fine.

 

~~**** ***** ****~~

 

Their version of Truth or Dare was pretty standard, except for the point system. Each question or each dare would be evaluated and given a point by the whole Party, from one to twenty. If the target of said question or dare decided to take on the challenge, he or she, and possibly anyone involved in the dare, would get the points. However, if they wanted to skip, they would lose points equal to the difference when you subtracted twenty by the point of the question or dare. Also, anyone who hadn’t used skip by the end of the game earned fifty bonus points. In other words, easy questions had big penalties and tough dares yielded great rewards. There was also this standard rule to prevent someone from picking the same option three times in a row, and to stop someone from picking the person who had picked them. It was quite simple, especially for someone who had played it dozens of times before.

The game also started easy and simple enough, with questions and dares that were worth a point or two to warm them up such as ‘what was the last test you cheated on’ and ‘go get me a drink’. However, things got a little more serious after Dustin was dared to prank call Nancy.

“You are so dead, Lucas,” Dustin grumbled as he hung up after about five minutes of Nancy’s scolding. “You know we’re gonna meet her in two weeks”.

“Well, you _did_ get ten points for that,” Lucas smirked, “so congratulations”.

“Ten points was _so_ not enough,” Dustin huffed and punched the ranger on the arm. “That had to be fifteen at least”.

“You should’ve protested instead of agreeing to do that then,” Max rolled her eyes from the opposite side of the curly-haired boy. “Now get back to the game”.

The one thing that never changed in these games was that Jane always insisted on sitting next to Will and Max, even when the two girls were dating someone else. The guys, however, didn’t have any issues with switching places with each other. So today, on Will’s right were Jane and Max, with Dustin and Lucas on his left, and Mike facing him.

“Fine, if you want to play that much, then Max, truth or dare?” Dustin asked with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

“Dare!” Max replied without a moment of hesitation.

“I dare you to give Jane a hickey she can’t possibly hide or pretend like it’s something else,” Dustin said triumphantly.

Will’s eyes widened and his cheeks heated up a little.

Never had any of them dared Mike and Jane, or Lucas and Max to do anything like that.

Surely this must’ve crossed some kind of lines.

Had it?

Well apparently, the others didn’t think so, because Lucas let out a low ‘ooh’, and Jane only raised an eyebrow to indicate that she’d heard the challenge.

“Fifteen points to both of them, and five more to whoever gets in trouble with it,” Mike said after a moment of consideration.

“Sounds good,” Lucas said with a nod.

“Take it or leave it, Max?” Dustin grinned like a Cheshire cat. “Only five penalty points”.

“Five points and fifty for losing the bonus,” Max glared at the bard. “It’s on, Henderson”.

Jane hummed and turned to Max.

Shit.

So this was really happening.

And right in front of their ex-boyfriends as well.

After Dustin’s remark about the girls’ hickeys, Will _had_ noticed them once in a while, but most of the time they were strategically placed so they could easily be covered up. But now, Dustin’s dare had prevented them from doing that.

Max had chosen a spot on Jane’s neck that mirrored the hickey on hers, as Will had noticed. However, the brunette’s shorter hairstyle meant that she couldn’t just hide it like Max always did.

This was another new experience for Will. He knew they had been doing that for a while, but he hadn’t really thought about it until now. Furthermore, for the first time ever, he watched two of his friends doing intimate stuff without wishing to be one of them. It was both sweet and weird for him at the same time. The weird part was mostly because he was sitting right next to the two.

When Max pulled away, a dark mark was visible on Jane’s neck, and there was no way anyone could think that was something else.

“Is that good enough for you, Dustin?” Max raised an eyebrow, and Dustin only shrugged in response. “Okay, then. Will, truth or dare?”

He totally hadn’t prepared for that. How was Max acting so normal? And she was now looking at him with that look she had when trying to beat someone’s high score.

“I— Uh, truth,” he stammered. He did not want to be the target of whatever dare Max had thought of. An honest answer was way better.

Probably.

“Who do you want to be your secret admirer the most?” Max asked with a smirk.

Okay, he took that back.

There was nothing worse than answering this question honestly.

“I think this question should be worth fifteen points,” Lucas said.

“What? No way that’s the same as my dare,” Max protested.

“Oh, please, you loved it,” Dustin huffed. “And it might not be the same _for you_ , but for others, it might. You just asked Will who he liked the most among the three of us”.

“I think fifteen is good enough,” Jane said quietly, but that was enough to stop Max from continuing her argument.

Dustin definitely didn’t need to point that out for Will. He knew no matter whose name he said, two people would be upset because of it. Not to mention, if the name he said wasn’t the name of his secret admirer, then someone would be hurt because their efforts had been in vain, and someone else would be weirded out because Will had thought of them in a more-than-just-friends way.

He was also aware of a certain pair of dark brown eyes watching him, probably trying to measure his level of discomfort, and was looking anywhere but back at his raven-haired friend. He knew Mike wouldn’t hesitate to use his veto on Max’s question if their eyes met, and he didn’t want to give the paladin such trouble.

“I’m gonna skip that question,” Will said, smiling softly at Max. “Sorry, Max”.

Max raised an eyebrow but only shrugged. “It’s okay. So who do you want to choose?”

Will’s eyes scanned around their circle, and stopped at…

“Lucas, truth or dare?” He asked tentatively.

He really hoped Lucas would choose truth. He really wanted to know…

“Truth,” Lucas said with a smile.

Good.

Now the difficult part.

How to ask Lucas if he’d made things awkward between them by kissing the ranger, without letting any of his friends know about the situation.

He knew Lucas hadn’t been acting weird or anything the last couple of days, but that could’ve been a facade. The dark-skinned boy was definitely too sweet to let Will know if there were anything weird between them.

“I— Uh— I want to know if, uh, if I’ve made—”

“Will, you didn’t,” Lucas cut his stammering off. “I promise you things are perfectly fine,” the boy said with a soft smile.

Will let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He would definitely leave the Party if Lucas had been uncomfortable because of that.

“I’m gonna give you one point, unless you two want to give us the context or something,” Mike said, looking back and forth between Will and Lucas, probably trying to figure out what that had been about.

Lucas didn’t seem to mind earning only one point from that question, as he turned to his next target.

“Jane, truth or dare?” He smirked.

“Truth,” the dark-haired girl replied without hesitation.

“Did you like Dustin’s dare?” The ranger asked mischievously.

“Five points,” Mike announced, which nobody objected.

Their superpowered friend sent an unimpressed look at Lucas before turning her gaze towards Dustin. “I like Max’s action. I did not appreciate the dare,” she said, sending Dustin a cold glare.

The bard visibly shivered next to Will. Jane’s stares were among the scariest things they’d ever seen, and they _had_ seen a lot.

“J-Jane, who do you choose next?” Lucas cleared his throat and asked.

“Mike, truth or dare?” Jane turned to her ex-boyfriend.

Mike had chosen truth last time, so if he did it again this time, he would be forced to choose dare the next time anyone chose him. Therefore, it wasn’t too surprising when the paladin chose dare with a shrug.

“Oh, I have something,” Max exclaimed before pulling Jane closer to whisper something.

Will had a feeling whatever it was, it would be at least fifteen points bad.

“Mike, kiss someone,” Jane said after hearing Max out.

Will almost thought he’d misheard it, but the look on all the boys’ faces told him that he hadn’t.

“F-Fine,” Mike cleared his throat once he’d snapped out of it. “Who should I kiss? You?”

“We’ll spin a bottle for that,” Max chimed in. “And to be clear, it has to be on the lips and it has to be for at least ten seconds. Fifteen points to both participants, and fifteen to the respective partner as well in case the bottle lands on one of us. Five more points if there’s tongue involved. Also, five more if you let us take a picture of that using Will’s new camera”.

Max and Jane sure went all out. Will was a little relieved that he hadn’t chosen dare earlier.

Only a little.

There was still a chance that he would be part of this dare.

Of course, he could always refuse to do it, but no one had done that before. They all knew the risk participating in this kind of game. It was one thing if Mike refused to do it, but it was another if everyone agreed to it and then someone else refused to do it later. If he did it, it would be the same as telling everyone he didn’t want to kiss Mike.

That was the other thing. He _did_ want to kiss Mike, so a small part of him was wishing that the bottle would land on him. A really, _really_ small part. The rest of him was too worried that he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings if that happened.

Mike agreed to the terms, and nobody else seemed to back away either.

The paladin left the circle and tossed an almost empty water bottle towards them, which Max skillfully caught and placed in the middle.

“If someone doesn’t want to earn points this way, this is your last chance to get out,” she said with a smirk, knowing that none of them would get up _especially_ after she’d said that.

Lucas reached in and spun the bottle.

Will felt like his heart was going to explode.

Did he want it to land on him?

He honestly had no idea.

Yes _and_ no.

But which one was winning?

Well, that didn’t matter.

The bottle was slowing down.

He was holding his breath now.

It slowly moved to Max.

And then Jane.

And him.

And stopped.

At Dustin.

The curly-haired boy’s eyes widened.

“Looks like we have a winner,” Max said with a smirk.

“Fine, whatever, it’s no big deal,” Dustin huffed and stood up. “Come at me, Wheeler”.

“You know you don’t have to stand up for it, right?” Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“What? Of course I have!” Dustin scowled. “I’ve kissed plenty of people. Tons of people”.

Yeah, that meant he hadn’t.

The curly-haired boy sat down in the middle of the circle as Mike approached him slowly. He passed Will’s camera to Max and turned to Dustin. “How many points do you want to get?” He asked softly.

“Who do you think I am?” The shorter boy rolled his eyes, although Will thought he could see the bard blushing. “I want twenty five points”.

“Fine,” Mike rolled his eyes and crouched down, “just follow my lead”.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Jane said, holding her phone to time the two.

Mike took a deep breath before leaning in and connecting their lips.

Will’s heart skipped a beat, and he thought he forgot to breathe for a moment.

Part of him wanted to switch places with one of them, but he didn’t know whether he wanted to be in Mike or Dustin’s position more.

Another part of him just wanted to stay right there and watch two of his best friends make out, especially when he spotted the paladin’s tongue entering their bard’s mouth.

“Ten,” Jane said quietly, snapping Will out of his hypnotized state.

Had it been ten seconds already? Or was she counting down?

Obviously, it couldn’t have been the latter but he didn’t think it had been that long already.

Mike slowly pulled away from Dustin and looked at the curly-haired boy for a moment before turning around at Max, who was fanning— Oh, right. The photo she’d taken.

“Twenty five points to both of us,” he said and glared at the redhead.

Dustin still looked like he was in shock or something, and both boys were blushing hard, but Will figured it was because it was weird for two straight friends to kiss in front of their entire friend circle.

“Well, you _did_ do all of them,” Max said with a smirk. “Now, do any of you want to keep this photo, or should I give it to Will since it was his film?”

Will’s face also turned crimson red.

 

~~**** ***** ****~~

 

They kept playing for another hour, but none of the other questions or dares reached the ‘fifty points in total’ record Jane and Max had made. By the end of the day, unsurprisingly, Mike had the most points.

“I guess we’ll be out of the competition this month,” Max shrugged as she headed up the basement stairs behind Jane, “so feel free to have more Party gatherings without Jane and I. It wouldn’t be right keeping you losers from getting more points just because my girlfriend and I have a vacation to go on”.

“You _do_ realize that you hang out with these ‘losers’, right?” Dustin huffed. “That makes you a loser, too”.

“Impossible, because I’m too fucking cool, and you know it,” Max said from the top of the stairs. “See you guys tomorrow”.

Lucas shook his head but didn’t say anything, since Max had already closed the basement door. Instead, he helped the rest of them put everything back to their original place. When it came to the Wheelers’ basement, nobody, and that meant _nobody_ , knew it as well as the four boys in it at the moment.

“So, Will,” Mike cleared his throat, “I think we’ve all noticed it, but you didn’t ask any of us if we were your secret admirer”.

That was a statement, but he could hear the question underneath Mike’s words. The other two was still cleaning up, but Will could see that they were listening.

“Uh, yeah, I didn’t want to ask any of you that,” Will said sheepishly. “Whoever it is, this whole thing is obviously important to him. I don’t want to ruin that. Plus, he’s going to show himself on Christmas Day anyway, right? You’ve read today’s note. Only thirteen days to go”.

Mike just sent him a soft smile, and he could hear Dustin’s chuckle somewhere behind him.

“You’re really precious, you know that?” Lucas asked.

Will’s face heated up again.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think about this chapter? Did you spot any errors or think I should fix my writing anywhere? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> This whole truth or dare idea was inspired by Ryan Higa's I Dare You series, with some changes.
> 
> I'm also still on my vacation, yet this is the longest chapter so far lol. I find that funny for some reason.
> 
> Anyway, what do you think will happen next? :) Feel free to discuss and I will try to reply when I can :)
> 
> I've also counted and there seem to be more people who want Mike to be the secret admirer than any of the others :) Lots of Byeler fans I see :)


	14. Thursday, December 13th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> I'm sorry for the wait but I am finally back home and back to my daily life so here's the next chapter of Dear Will. I hope it's worth it.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Will, you have to let go,” the voice said softly.

“No,” Will whispered weakly.

His hand was grabbing onto something soft.

He guessed it was his secret admirer’s sweater.

“Come on, Will, I have to go,” the voice pleaded again.

“Stay,” Will tried to say in his sleep.

He could hear his admirer sighing.

“You know I can’t do that,” the admirer said, and he could feel his bed shifting on his side. A warm hand was placed on his, and he could feel himself falling asleep as the fabric was gently removed from his grip.

“Good night, Will,” the voice said, and he could only hum in response.

Before his mind went completely dark, he felt his secret admirer leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

 

~~**** **** ****~~

 

Will woke up that morning feeling more upset at himself than ever.

He was _so_ close to knowing who his secret admirer was.

All he had to do was open his eyes, and he could get the answer he’d been wanting for so long.

Or he could just remember _his_ voice.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, the secret admirer’s voice still sounded like it had come from behind a thick wall, or from underwater — blocked and distorted.

He sat up with a groan and looked over at his nightstand, where, unsurprisingly, another gift was waiting to be opened.

This one was a long box that looked suspiciously like a chocolate box, but Will doubted his admirer would give him candy two days in a row.

Despite his curiosity, the brown-haired boy picked up the note on top of the present and carefully read it.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You are the sun of my days, the stars of my nights. You light up my life in a way nobody else could. The joy and love you radiate are brighter and warmer than anything a nuclear fusion makes._ **
> 
> **_I hope I didn’t plagiarize any song there. I just want you to know how important you are to me. You are the light of my life. You are the reason I see every color so vibrantly. I really want to give you that in return, and even more if you decide to be with me on Christmas Day._ **
> 
> **_I also want to tell you that, you need to stop doing what you’ve just done to me. I_ ** **~~_don’t think_~~ ** **_know I can’t say no to you forever. I doubt anyone can._ **
> 
> **_Have a great December 13th! I’ll see you later._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

How his admirer had been doing this, Will had no idea.

Just when he thought he’d managed to not blush after reading a note, the guy turned it up a notch.

This note was both cheesy and nerdy at the same time — something he didn’t think was possible.

He loved it.

He also loved the part where his secret admirer wrote his thought down and scratched it out. It made him feel like the words came from his heart and not just some rehearsed things.

The brown-haired boy carefully put down the note before moving onto the package of the day and slowly unwrapping it.

When he finally did, Will couldn’t help but roll his eyes fondly at the admirer.

The guy was an idiot.

He’d written about seeing vibrant colors and giving Will that in return.

And he gave Will a new color set.

Not just any color set, this was the color set Will had secretly wanted since he’d first seen it.

It had 127 colors, with watercolor paints, powder paints, and oil paints. Just thinking about it made him shiver in excitement.

He remembered biking to the art supply shop and looking at that set from the window.

But he’d never told any of the boys about it.

Was it a lucky guess? He doubted it.

Whoever this guy was, he must’ve paid closer attention than Will had thought.

The boy slowly scanned his bed and bookshelf for a good place to put this new present.

Surely he couldn’t put something like _this_ next to his crayons.

 

~~**** **** ****~~

 

“I was so close to finding out,” Will groaned as he slid into the passenger seat of Mike’s car. The paladin had called dibs first yesterday, so he would be today’s driver. Mike always picked him up first, despite his home being the furthest from the dungeon master’s house.

“Finding out what?” Mike raised an eyebrow at him as they pulled away from the house.

“Who the secret admirer is,” Will said, shaking his head. “I even talked to him last night, but my dumbass brain was too sleepy to wake up”.

Mike raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the road. “Whatever you say, Will,” he shrugged.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Will scowled. The taller boy didn’t seem to take his words seriously, especially from the look in his eyes.

“It means, I know you,” Mike said, unimpressed. “I know how you care about everyone else, and I know that you know how important this must be for your secret admirer. You didn’t ask a single thing about the secret admirer, yet you expect me to believe you would’ve woken up if you hadn’t been so sleepy? I bet even _if_ you wake up when he’s there, you’ll try to signal him somehow so he’ll sneak out before you know who he is”.

Will sighed. Mike had a point. As much as the curiosity was killing him, he knew how important this was, and how sad his admirer would feel if he found out like that. “I guess you’re right,” he mumbled. “But it’s still really frustrating, having him right there but still not knowing who he is”.

“I bet,” Mike chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, you’ll definitely have him right here again when we pick up Dustin and Lucas, _if_ he’s not here already,” the raven-haired boy sent him a wink.

Will’s face heated up at his best friend’s words. It couldn’t be any of them, yet at the same time, it had to be. The secret admirer had implied that himself. Furthermore, the feeling his admirer had brought him was the same kind of feeling he felt whenever he was around his friends.

But he just couldn’t imagine any of his friends having a crush on him, let alone confessing their _love_ for him. He hadn’t seen any of them showing interest in anyone other than Max or Jane, so he didn’t really have any clues whatsoever. His brain shouting at him that they were all straight didn’t help either.

“You know,” Mike cleared his throat, snapping Will back to reality, “you don’t have to ask any of us that exact question”. When Will looked back at him quizzically, the taller teen sighed and continued. “Whether someone is the secret admirer,” he clarified. “You can just ask us about whatever has been troubling you”.

“Whatever has been… troubling me?” Will frowned.

“I’m not sure if you know it, but you have a very distinctive sigh whenever you think about your secret admirer,” Mike said, giving him a soft smile. “It’s not a good sigh, so I assume something is bothering you. I can’t promise we’ll be able to help you with everything, but I know we will try to help as much as we can”.

Will’s cheeks turned a new shade of pink.

Apparently, he had a signature sigh when thinking about the admirer.

And of all people, Mike was the one to tell him that.

If he had to choose the one to most likely see something like this, he’d choose Dustin. The boy could always pick up those tiny details.

Their paladin was the most oblivious person he knew.

Granted, the dungeon master was usually the first one to notice whenever something was wrong with him, but he was also unmindful enough to keep talking about Jane to Will back when they started dating. Sure, he’d been happy for his friend, but having a huge crush on Mike, then learning that he’d found someone during his week in hell, and finally seeing them together hadn’t been the most pleasant experience. Lucky for him, Dustin had more often than not ‘borrowed’ him from Mike in those situations, since they’d been the only two single people in the Party. Eventually, Mike had stopped talking solely about Jane and started talking about other things as well, so things had gotten a little easier for him, too.

“Th-Thanks, Mike,” Will said sheepishly, “I’ll keep that in mind”.

“No need to thank me,” Mike said and sent him a bright smile. “But you do need to prepare your ears for some whining because _he_ is gonna have another fit about me not picking Lucas up first,” the boy continued, gesturing towards Dustin’s house as they pulled up in the driveway, where they could already spot the curly-haired teen giving Mike the deadliest glare he could muster.

 

~~**** **** ****~~

 

“But seriously, what did you guys do?” Dustin asked for the umpteenth time.

“Would you _please_ shut up?” Lucas groaned.

“I was just asking,” Dustin huffed. “Are you seriously telling me that you aren’t even just a little curious? Whatever Will did was supposed to be irresistible”.

“With how smitten this admirer is, I bet Will only had to smile for it to be irresistible,” Max rolled her eyes, “now shut up before I make you regret it”.

After the boys had read today’s note, Dustin had been trying to find out what the secret admirer had meant. As a result, the curly-haired teen had been asking Will nonstop about the things that had transpired the previous night. He had told everyone that he vaguely remembered talking to the admirer, although he’d kept the details of the conversation to himself. Will wasn’t sure his memory had been accurate, but he didn’t want to mention asking the admirer to stay with him to the boys. Just thinking about it made him blush uncontrollably, and seeing his blush only seemed to strengthen Dustin’s determination. That definitely didn’t help when Will thought about it every time Dustin brought it up.

“See? That blush right there,” Dustin exclaimed, gesturing Will’s cheeks, “that had to be something huge”.

“It’s Will,” Mike reminded Dustin. “He’ll blush at everything the admirer does”.

The cleric rolled his eyes. Their dungeon master was right, but he didn’t have to put it like that.

Will didn’t blush _that_ easily.

“I guess you have a point,” Dustin said, huffing and stabbing his food with his fork.

“Jesus, why do you have to try to find the answer to everything?” Lucas grumbled. The ranger’s eyes then widened and he held up a finger right when their curly-haired friend was about to start talking again. “That was a rhetorical question. Don’t bring up the ‘curiosity door’ talk again this month, _please_ ”.

“You’re no fun,” Dustin swatted Lucas’ finger away.

“Anyway, what are we doing after school today?” Mike asked, changing the topic.

The two girls exchanged looks before Max gave them a nonchalant shrug. “We’re leaving after school tomorrow, so we’re going to pack our stuff,” she answered. “Unless you want to come over to give us early Christmas presents, you guys are on your own”.

“Nice try,” Dustin snorted. “You’re not getting anything two weeks early. Your Christmas presents will arrive after New Year”.

“Have you bought us presents?” Jane asked quietly, and the slight blush on Dustin’s cheeks was good enough as an answer. “Thought so”.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that your presents have been meticulously planned ahead,” Dustin protested. “I just haven’t gotten the time to pick it up”.

“Like last year, when you _meticulously_ planned to give Jane four boxes of eggos?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“She liked those!” Dustin huffed. “And no! This year it will be _way_ better”.

“What about today?” Max asked. “You don’t have anything to do yet, do you?”

“I prefer to go shopping next week, when I can comfortably wrap the presents in my living room without my mom throwing a fit,” Dustin shrugged.

Oh, yeah.

His mom, Hopper, Jane, and Max weren’t the only one leaving Hawkins this weekend.

Mrs. Henderson would be leaving on Saturday, and the Wheelers on Sunday as well.

Which meant that half of the Party would be free of parents’ supervision for an entire week.

Well, mostly free.

Will didn’t know about the others, but he still had to call his mom every day after school and before going to bed, until they got to New York, where Jonathan would be the one giving her updates instead.

“You can’t blame her for complaining about you making a mess _every time_ you wrap something up,” Lucas snorted.

“I do _not_ make a mess every time I wrap something up,” Dustin scowled.

“You’re right,” Max nodded, “you make a mess every time you _do anything_ ”.

“You _are_ a mess,” Mike chuckled.

“Remember the time your stuff occupied half my bedroom when we gathered to wrap Mike’s birthday presents?” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Or the time you wrapped the scissors along with Will’s present?” Max chimed in.

“Or the time you sat on the box of flower ribbons you bought for Steve’s birthday,” Will reminded them with a grin. “We couldn’t use a single one of them”.

“I—”

“ _‘— swear it was already like that when I bought it’_ , we know,” the whole Party finished the bard’s sentence.

“Bullies,” Dustin mumbled.

“You love us,” Jane said, shooting the curly-haired teen a wide grin.

 

~~**** **** ****~~

 

Once again, they ended up at Will’s place after school.

By now, he’d already stopped being surprised at that. Although Mike’s place had been the designated hangout location of the Party since forever, the secret admirer had slightly changed that habit of theirs, at least for the time being. There was almost always a reason to come to his house now, and most of the time that reason would have something to do with his present of the day. For instance, today, the boys wanted to see his new color set for some reason.

“This can’t be cheap,” Dustin mumbled as he ran his fingers over the set.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “What else have you discovered? Will’s camera wasn’t cheap either?”

Mike elbowed the two, effectively shutting them up. The paladin probably didn’t want Will to think about how expensive the gifts were, so he wouldn’t feel pressured or anything.

Well, too late.

After all, he’d had the entire day to think about that, since nobody had been there to distract him in class today.

Each gift individually might not cost that much, but the whole thing must’ve cost hundreds.

He knew his friends’ families might have been a little more well off than his, but this was too much.

How did the admirer even get the money to do this? How long had he been preparing?

“Hey, Cleric,” Dustin snapped his fingers, “stop thinking. We can all see the gears turning in your head”.

“Instead of worrying about what’s been done, why don’t you think about what we’re gonna do now?” Mike grinned at him.

When Will looked at them doe-eyed, his mind still trying to catch up with the sudden topic change, the boys collectively sighed.

“Let’s watch something,” Lucas suggested. “Dustin and I will prepare snacks. You two take care of the movie”.

Without waiting for his confirmation, the boys all left his room for their task, with Mike dragging him along.

“Really, Will, stop thinking about it,” Mike said softly when they got to the living room.

“But it’s too much, Mike,” he replied with a sigh. “Dustin didn’t make me think about it. I’ve been thinking about it all day”.

“Too much or not, I think you deserve each and every single one of them,” Mike said with a shrug. “And I’m sure the admirer would tell you the same thing if you talked to him again tonight”.

Will’s cheeks turned red again at this new topic. “I was always half asleep whenever that happened,” he mumbled. “I can’t exactly control it, you know. I’m sure the admirer didn’t care about what I said anyway”.

“I don’t know about you, but most of the time when people talk in their sleep, or while being half asleep, they speak from their heart,” Mike grinned. “Plus, if you’ve been honest, and I believe you have, then whatever you’d said to him was apparently irresistible,” the raven-haired boy shot him a wink.

Mike got him there.

 

~~**** **** ****~~

 

Will yawned and slowly woke up, feeling more relaxed than he’d been before he’d dozed off to sleep.

At least that was the case until he realized his pillow’s slow and rhythmic breathing, and froze on the spot.

“Welcome back,” Lucas chuckled somewhere behind him, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Needless to say, his face immediately turned beet red when he realized he’d been using Mike as a pillow, and the paladin was sleeping soundly next to him on the couch, with his arms loosely around him.

The small cleric slowly turned around to face his other friend, who was sitting right next to him.

“You fell asleep ten minutes into the movie, and Mike also dozed off shortly after, so Dustin and I decided to just turn the TV off and took a nap as well,” Lucas explained. “I only woke up fifteen minutes ago”.

“Where’s Dustin?” Will asked, noticing the absence of a certain curly-haired boy.

“He took Mike’s car to go buy some cat food for his mom,” Lucas shrugged. “She called earlier, waking both of us up”.

Will nodded and tried to get out of Mike’s loose embrace. That was when it happened.

The paladin immediately pulled him to his chest, tightening his hug with a low growl.

Will was sure he would be dead already if it was possible to die via blushing.

“Uh, a little help?” He squeaked weakly.

“Can’t,” Lucas chuckled. “Dustin tried to pry you from him after he’d fallen asleep. That happened as well. Consider yourself lucky because that asshole drooled on my shirt,” his friend huffed.

Will hummed and thought for a moment before turning to Lucas again. “So you didn’t agree to switch places with him either?”

“He didn’t ask,” Lucas shrugged, “but I wouldn’t have anyway”.

Right that moment, a deafening car honk pierced through the peaceful afternoon air and woke Mike up. The raven-haired boy grumbled before letting go of Will and sitting up lazily. The front door opened, and Dustin greeted them all with a booming voice.

“Wakey wakey, Mike! My mom needs me at home, or sweet little Tews is gonna starve,” the bard announced. “It’s half past six already”.

“Alright, alright. You don’t have to be an asshole about it,” Mike complained.

As Mike and Lucas went to his room to retrieve their bags, Dustin approached the sofa with a grin. “So, are you excited about Saturday?”

Will’s face, which he’d only managed to cool down quite recently, heated up again.

Saturday.

His hangout with Dustin.

Hangout.

Not ‘date’.

“Y-Yeah,” the smaller boy stuttered. “Are we meeting somewhere, or…?”

It wasn’t a date. He shouldn’t imply that Dustin had to pick him up because it wasn’t a date.

“I can’t take the car this weekend, obviously,” Dustin sighed, as if that had put a huge damper on his plan, “so I’ll come here and we’ll go together”. He then turned to the other two boys, who had just re-emerged from his room. “If I see _any_ of you at the mall this weekend, you’re dead,” he warned.

So, they would be going to the mall.

Well, at least he knew what to wear now that he knew where they’d be going. Although he doubted it would make it any faster for him to pick an outfit.

“You were the one who wanted to find them last week,” Mike reminded the blond boy. “ _I_ suggested going to the arcade”.

“No one is gonna mess with your plan,” Lucas assured his friend.

“Better safe than sorry,” Dustin shrugged. “Now haul your asses. I’m not risking making my mom mad a week before New York”.

Mike and Lucas rolled their eyes but headed outside nonetheless, not forgetting to bid him goodbye.

Will waved at them until Mike’s car pulled away from his driveway, but even then he couldn’t stop the excitement that Dustin had set off in him.

Next weekend, they’d all be in New York.

Next weekend, he’d leave Hawkins for the first time.

Next weekend, he’d visit Jonathan.

And then…

His secret admirer would come out to him.

In New York.

He had no doubt it would be a life-changing trip for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think about this chapter? Did I do someone injustice? Anything you want me to improve? Let me know with your lovely comments.
> 
> Also, I know my updates have been irregular this last month, but I'm back now and I will try to give you at least one new chapter a week (although I don't know how much I'll be able to write in class with my new course). I hope by the end of this fic, there would be someone to read it lol.


	15. Friday, December 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> I think I will be able to update this fic every weekend with my current pace, so hopefully you'll get new content every week.
> 
> That's all. Enjoy!

Will turned restlessly towards his window as he felt the cold December air hit him in his sleep. The first thought that appeared in his mind was  _ Shit, I missed my secret admirer _ . That was until a warm hand held onto his.

“Relax, I’m still here,” a soft voice chuckled, and Will immediately calmed down.

“Stay,” Will whispered, and he could hear his admirer sigh.

“You know, I would love nothing more than that,” the admirer groaned.

_ Then why don’t you? _ Will thought, but he was too sleepy to say it.

Or at least that was what he thought. But then his admirer sighed again, and he guessed he’d probably mumbled something along those lines unknowingly.

“Because  _ this _ is already creepy enough,” the admirer said softly. “I really don’t need to make it worse by staying and watching you sleep like a creepy vampire”.

_ I don’t find it creepy _ , he thought.  _ I don’t mind you staying, and I definitely don’t mind you lying down next to me _ .

Even in his current state, he knew he hadn’t just said all of that, but apparently, the first part still had gotten out, or enough parts had gotten out enough for his admirer to string into something coherent.

“Well,  _ you _ might not find it creepy, but the others would,” Will could feel a gentle flick to his forehead, “and I’ll be dead when they find out who I am”.

_ I won’t tell them _ , Will thought. He always had a really strong urge to let his best friends know about everything in his life, but he also knew some things were meant to be kept a secret.

He didn’t know whether he’d said that out loud, because his secret admirer only chuckled after that and moved a hand to his cheek, caressing it softly.

“Go back to sleep, Will,” his admirer said, and once again Will could feel it when the guy leaned in again, just like he’d done the previous night.

Will turned his head at the last moment, and their lips connected.

For an extremely short moment, Will could feel his admirer’s soft lips on his, before the other boy abruptly pulled away, undoubtedly looking scandalized. Oh, what he wouldn’t trade to see it.

“They’re definitely gonna kill me if they know who I am,” the guy muttered, and Will felt himself let out a chuckle before drifting back to sleep.

 

~~**** *** ****~~

 

Will was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, and looking mortified.

Oh god.

Oh god.

_ Oh god _ .

What had he done?

Oh god.

_ Why _ had he done it? What had gotten into him?

Had he actually kissed his admirer?

Technically his admirer had kissed him, but he  _ had _ tricked the guy into doing that.

He had undoubtedly scared his admirer off. What did the guy think of him now? Were they even friends anymore? Would he secretly hate Will but have to act normal around him? What if he told the other two, and they hated him as well? Would they think he would go around kissing them the next time they had a sleepover too?

He’d been staring at his ceiling for half an hour now, hoping,  _ praying _ that it had all been a dream. But Will knew, deep down, that it had really happened. That was why he still hadn’t touched his present, or the card atop it. He didn’t think he wanted to know what the secret admirer would say.

However, he knew he would have to leave the bed, and after that, the house eventually. He would have to face his three best friends, and they would ask about the note. His admirer would know whether he’d read it or not. Better do it sooner so he’d be able to school himself into whatever appropriate attitude he should have.

The gift was box-shaped, probably the size of Dustin’s Hunger Games trilogy, and neatly wrapped in that familiar red wrapping with blue polka-dots that always had a small calming effect on him. Sadly he needed more than a small calming effect for this particular morning. He slowly picked up the note, hoping he’d be able to deal with whatever had been written there.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I bet you’re going to freak out in the morning._ **
> 
> **_I bet you already did when you read this._ **
> 
> **_If you think I’m going to chicken out after what had happened, you can calm your pretty little mind now. I doubt there’s anything you can do to make me not like you._ **
> 
> **_However, I must warn you that the next time you do that, I might not be able to say no to the other thing anymore._ **
> 
> **_You have no idea the effect you have on others, do you?_ **
> 
> **_Anyway, I know you’ve always secretly liked today’s gift. Maybe it’s time to not let it be a secret anymore._ **
> 
> **_Can’t wait to see you today._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_P.S: Seriously, I won’t be able to say no if you do that._ **

 

The good thing was, it hadn’t gone where Will had thought it would’ve.

The less good thing was, he was sure his mom would’ve been able to fry eggs on his face right now, with how it was currently burning.

How the hell was his admirer still interested in him? How had he not been scared off yet? If he had been his admirer, he would’ve run off long ago.

And what was that about his effect on others? He didn’t have any effect on others, unless the guy was talking about how other kids at school still called him names, which, knowing that his admirer was one of his best friends, Will didn’t think was the case.

Also, ‘next time’? Did his admirer think there would be a next time? Okay, he didn’t mean it like that, but did his admirer want to have a ‘next time’?

Did Will want to have a ‘next time’?

He closed his eyes and tried to sort out his feelings.

The answer was ‘Yes’. He liked his admirer, and he definitely wouldn’t mind kissing him again.

And  _ god _ , those soft lips…

Will shook his head vehemently and returned his focus on his present. Whatever it was, apparently he had always ‘secretly liked’ it. He wondered whether that meant only the Party members knew about it, or that nobody else did. Will suspected it was the latter. That had  _ certainly _ narrowed down the possibilities. With his luck, it might have been action figures of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas. That would’ve been fun to explain to everyone.

Luckily it wasn’t.

His gift of the day today consisted of two books and two DVDs.  _ Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda  _ and  _ Call Me by Your Name _ , and their movie adaptations. Definitely easier to show everyone.

Being a closeted gay boy in a small conservative town, there was no way for him to buy a ticket to those movies without the whole town knowing about it, and the only safe way to buy either the DVDs or the books would be online. However, he had never done that, too afraid that his best friends would ask questions if they saw him with any of these.

Well, he guessed now that he’d come out to them, it wouldn’t be a big deal to have these around, and maybe, just maybe, that they wouldn’t mind watching these movies with him someday. He certainly hoped that his admirer wouldn’t.

 

~~**** *** ****~~

 

“Will? Can I talk to you for a second?” Joyce asked after Will put his plate in the sink.

He quickly glanced at the kitchen clock. He still had ten minutes before he had to leave for school.

“Sure, mom,” the boy sat back down at the dining table, facing his mom. “Is something wrong?”

“What? No!” His mom’s eyes widened before she quickly shook her head, chuckling a little. “At least I hope not. It’s just that, I noticed you’ve been having some new stuff around,” Joyce said with a soft but knowing smile. “Is there anything you want to let me know?”

Even though his mom’s voice was soft and gentle, telling him that he was not in trouble, and she had a smile that said it was okay if he didn’t want to tell her, he still felt nervous. Logically, he knew that since he’d come out to her and she’d been more than okay with it, she wouldn’t have any problems with this either, but Will couldn’t help but feel like the last time had been a test run, and this time was the real deal. This time, he was about to get a boyfriend. Everything would change. Just that thought alone made him want to shake his head and shoot his mom an assuring fake smile — something he hadn’t had to do for a while now, but he also didn’t want to lie to his mom, especially about this. So far, this had been the only place he could absolutely be himself without having to hide from anyone. If by the end of this, he got a boyfriend and his mom didn’t know about it, then it would get back to hiding and looking over his shoulder and worrying and keeping secrets, and that was a far worse scenario.

So he’d told his mom. He’d told her about how he’d gotten a letter two weeks ago, telling him that he had a secret admirer. He’d told her about how his secret admirer had promised to give him a present each day, every day until Christmas. He’d told her about how said admirer had kept his promise so far, leaving him a gift and a little note every single day. He’d even told her about how he’d found out that his secret admirer was one of his three best friends. He had conveniently left out the part about his secret admirer sneaking into his room every night, though. Mothers didn’t need to know about that. He hadn’t realized how free it felt to be able to tell his mom this kind of stuff, but the more he talked about it, the wider the smile on his face grew, and the same thing happened to his mom.

“So, you still have no idea which of your friends it is,” Joyce concluded.

“No, and that’s the frustrating part,” Will sighed. “It couldn’t be any of them”. They were all straight. They didn’t like him that way.

His mom gave him a look that he couldn’t decipher, before shaking her head. “It looks to me like it could be any of them,” she said cryptically.

“What do you mean?” Will furrowed his eyebrows, but his mom only gave him a knowing smile. “Mom?”

“Looks like it’s time for you to go to school, honey,” she changed the subject. “Wouldn’t want to keep your friends waiting”.

 

~~**** *** ****~~

 

“Keep licking, but I’m not letting go until you promise to stop asking Will that,” Mike grumbled.

“Mmmph!” Dustin tried to protest, or at least that was what Will guessed from the gesture.

Mike was holding Dustin in a headlock, with one hand over the curly-haired boy’s mouth, both their lunches untouched on the table. Based on Mike’s facial expression, Dustin  _ had _ licked him.

Will would’ve felt sorry for Dustin, had he not been the target of his constant ‘What did you two do’ that had started the moment they finished reading the note and hadn’t shown any signs of stopping. Based on the look on Jane’s face, if Mike had waited a little longer, she would’ve done something herself, and Will had a feeling the bard would like whatever she had in mind a lot less.

“So, are you two excited about the trip?” Lucas asked, ignoring the Mike-Dustin situation.

“Max couldn’t sleep last night,” Jane shrugged.

“Excuse me?” Max asked incredulously. “Who called me at two in the fucking morning because shhhmm—”

Jane had taken a page out of Mike’s book and was now stopping Max the same way Dustin was being held silenced. However, unlike Dustin’s case, Jane didn’t plan to keep it that way for long, as she let go after approximately three seconds.

“Anyway, Max brought her stuff over this morning, so Jim can put it in the car for us in advance,” Jane said, smiling a little. “Are you all going to Will’s later today?”

“They’ll be there,” Will said, smiling at his friend and future stepsister. They hadn’t actually talked about it, since Dustin had cared about nothing other than the information Will had been refusing to tell him, but he was fairly confident that they would all end up at his house again today. “You can say goodbye to all of us then”.

“Will,” Mike said, trying to get his attention. He waited for the rest of the Party to turn to Dustin and him before continuing. “So, Dustin agreed that I will let him go  _ if _ he asks that question no more than once a day. If you don’t answer him, that’s it. He’ll have to wait until the next day. Right, Dustin?”

Dustin reluctantly nodded his head.

“Promise?” Another nod. “Good,” Mike said before moving his hand to Dustin’s sweater and violently wiped away the blond boy’s saliva.

“Hey! You did that to yourself, so wipe it on your clothes,” Dustin protested but didn’t do anything to stop Mike.

The whole thing was extremely amusing to Will, for several reasons. For starters, he had absolutely no idea how they’d managed to make that deal when one of them hadn’t been able to talk. Next, Mike’s tone and Dustin’s attitude made it look like Mike was the strict parent who’d just scolded his disobedient child.

“So, what’s the plan?” Dustin asked, obviously having missed everything they’d said. Mike didn’t seem to get too much more either.

“We’re going to Will’s after school,” Lucas provided.

“So what else is new?” Mike shrugged.

“ _ And _ I was thinking,” Lucas rolled his eyes, “we could watch Will’s gift together”.

Will’s heart skipped a beat. Sure, he’d thought about watching it with them, but he’d thought they would do that  _ eventually _ , not  _ today _ .

“Sounds fun,” Dustin chuckled. “I hear that they’re good. Which one do you want to watch?”

“You mean, which one do we want to watch  _ first _ ?” Mike snickered. “I’ll say Troye Sivan and the peach”.

“Don’t you mean Timothée?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“I said what I said,” Mike grinned.

“Well, I heard he  _ did _ look like Troye in that,” Dustin shrugged.

“There was a resemblance,” Jane confirmed.

“I think you guys should watch Love, Simon first,” Max chimed in.

“Chronological order, then,” Lucas said.

Will was too taken aback by the whole conversation to participate. Had his best friends done some research because Will was gay? Will hadn’t asked them to, and he definitely hadn’t expected them to, but if that was the case, then he wondered what he’d done to deserve these wonderful people in his life.

 

~~**** *** ****~~

 

“Mike, can you help me with something?” Joyce called for Mike from the bathroom door, and that was when Will knew something was up.

Mike looked up in confusion, before he headed towards the bathroom and disappeared.

His mom had already finished packing before they’d gotten home, and it wasn’t like they were moving or anything — she only had a suitcase and a carry on bag — so they had just been lounging in the living room, waiting for Jim to show up with the girls. Lucas had been flipping through the latest Spider-Man issue, and Dustin had just gotten back from the kitchen no less than two minutes ago, just joining Will and Mike’s conversation, when Mike was summoned away.

If his mom had wanted help looking for something, then Will would’ve been a better choice, since this was his house. And if she’d wanted help with something heavy, then Jim would’ve been the obvious option. In other words, there was absolutely no reason for his mom to ask for Mike’s help specifically in the bathroom, just like there was absolutely no reason for her to ask for Dustin’s help specifically in the kitchen earlier, unless she had some extra pudding she wanted gone. Not that Will didn’t love Dustin — the guy was really helpful in a lot of ways — but because he couldn’t think of a single thing his mom needed that only Dustin could do.

Which left him with the obvious answer: his mom was interrogating his friends about the whole secret admirer situation. He should’ve told her that he didn’t want to know who it was before Christmas. Oh god, what if she let him know immediately after she found out? Or worse, what if she let  _ everyone _ know immediately? What would he do in that situation? What would the secret admirer do? Would he keep giving Will a gift a day until Christmas, or would he want an answer now? Shit. He needed to break Mike out immediately. He needed to— 

“Relax,” Dustin snapped a finger in front of him, drawing him back to the conversation he hadn’t realized he’d dropped. “I can see the gears turning in your head”. The boy gave him a toothy grin. “She’s not going to let you know. I told her you didn’t want to know”.

Will blushed as the bard could seemingly read his mind. “I— Uh, sorry,” he said sheepishly, “she asked me this morning, and I kind of told her about it. I told her that one of you is supposed to be the admirer, but I didn’t think she would go and do this”.

“So you told her everything?” Dustin raised an eyebrow, before grinning mischievously. “Did you tell her that your secret admirer comes to your room each night to… passionately make out with you?”

Will’s eyes widened, his mouth agape, and he was fairly certain that all his blood had gone to his face. “Dustin!” He exclaimed incredulously. Lucas looked up from his comics to see what the commotion was about.

“What?” The bard laughed out loud. “I promised not to ask. Mike didn’t say I couldn’t guess. So, was I close?”

Way too close. But Will would never tell him that. Instead, his eyes traveled back to the closed bathroom door.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Dustin said, still grinning from Will’s reaction. “Well, unless he’s the admirer,” he added cheekily. “Can’t imagine what Joyce will do when she finds out who is courting her baby bo— Oof!”

Will punched him in the stomach. Hard. But not hard enough, since the curly-haired boy was still grinning. “Don’t tell Lucas,” he said quietly. “I want to see his face when Joyce asks for him and he has no idea what’s happening”.

Right that moment, Mike plopped down onto the couch. However, Will didn’t get the chance to say anything before Joyce’s voice came out from Will’s bedroom. “Lucas, can I talk to you for a second, dear?”

Lucas’ eyes widened in surprise, and he shot the three a look before reluctantly heading towards Will’s room. Will looked back, tried to give him the best ‘I’m sorry’ look. Mike just looked at him amusedly. Dustin, however, was smirking deviously at the poor ranger.

Once the door to Will’s room closed, Mike turned back to them. “So, I guess she knew?”

“This morning,” Will nodded and sighed.

“So, how did it go, Mister Secret Admirer?” Dustin asked, his grin still hadn’t subsided.

“I’m not the secret admirer,” Mike rolled his eyes.

“So if it’s not you, then she saved the chosen one for last,” Dustin hummed.

“Or it could be you,” Mike shot back. “You’re in Drama Club, after all”.

“You’re right,” Dustin smirked, “I  _ am _ a good actor”.

“Can we stop guessing, guys?” Will pleaded, and they both raised their hands in surrender.

And Dustin managed to keep quiet for five seconds.

“If she asked for me before you, does it mean she wanted it to be me more than you?” Dustin asked, smirking at Mike.

“Or she wanted to get the worst one out of the way first,” Mike rolled his eyes and ruffled Dustin’s hair.

“Who are you calling ‘the worst one’, asshole?” Dustin huffed and shook his head.

These idiots.

How had he managed to fall for all three of them?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know with your wonderful comments.
> 
> Has this chapter messed with anyone's predictions or expectations? I would love to hear how that happened as well. Feel free to tell me that I've only strengthened your belief, too.
> 
> Finally, how many people do you think know who this secret admirer is so far? :) Are those people going to meddle somehow?


	16. Saturday, December 15th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of Dear Will!
> 
> It's been more than half the journey now, and I really hope I've given you a story to remember.
> 
> Anyway, more chit chats at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

“Someone has been expecting me,” came the all too familiar warm voice of whom Will still hadn’t been able to pinpoint. He started to think that his consciousness, or subconsciousness, whichever dominated this sleepy state of him, didn’t want him to recognize the voice. Perhaps Mike was right. Perhaps, as much as he wanted to know who it was, he didn’t want to ruin it for his secret admirer. Maybe not being able to figure out who it was was for the best.

He hadn’t even realized it, but apparently, he’d acknowledged his admirer’s presence somehow.

“You know, you should be sleeping at this hour,” the admirer said, and Will could feel his mattress dipping a little.

Well, technically he was sleeping, otherwise one of his friends would have a huge problem to deal with by now.

“I meant  _ sleeping _ sleeping, not dreamily talking to the one who is breaking into your bedroom,” the guy said, and if he had been any more awake, he would’ve huffed at that tone by now. Who was his admirer to lecture him about sleeping, when the guy had literally been the one walking around awake at whatever-o-clock-this-was in the morning?

He could hear his secret admirer’s sigh and feel the guy lean in again, and just like the previous night, he turned his head.

Except that this time, his admirer had obviously anticipated it, since the guy had paused in his track before leaning up and planting a kiss to his forehead. “That’s not going to work twice,” his admirer whispered. “Go to sleep”.

_ But I want to kiss you. I want you to kiss me _ . Will had no idea if he’d just said those words out loud, but he could hear his admirer’s groan.

“This is so not fair, Will. You can’t just  _ pout _ to make me kiss you,” the guy said with a sigh, his voice a little muffled. If he had to guess, he would say his admirer was facepalming. Either way, he knew a defeated sigh when he heard it, and he could feel himself smiling as the admirer leaned in again and gave him a quick peck on his lips.

“Yeah, go ahead and grin,” the admirer grumbled. “You don’t even know who I am yet, and you already have a way to make me do whatever you want”.

Somehow Will doubted his admirer had felt as bad as he’d made himself sound. As Will drifted back to sleep, he found himself not minding the fact that he’d just kissed his faceless admirer  _ again _ .

 

~~*** **** ***~~

 

Will didn’t freak out this time.

Maybe it was because his secret admirer hadn’t hated him after the last time, or maybe it was because the guy had kissed him on purpose this time. Maybe it was just the fact that it hadn’t been the first time anymore. It didn’t matter to him, what the reason was. The important thing was, he felt… free, for the lack of better words, after waking up. He felt more confident and more daring, and it was all because of his admirer.

Will was currently working on a new drawing. He had finished his drawing of Mike last week, thus finishing all three portraits of his friends. Therefore he had decided to work on something more challenging and had chosen to draw the entire Party. To him, the most difficult part would be to draw himself, since the image of Will in his own mind had always been the mirrored version. Today’s gift had already been opened. Next to the brand new starry night lamp on his bedside table was the note he’d reread no less than three times.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You are the most amazing person I’ve ever known. You’re sweet, and smart, and brave, and funny, and gentle, and kind, and everything good. Your smile can light up the whole wide world on its darkest day._ **
> 
> **_And your pout. Jesus. How did your mom say ‘no’ to you as a kid? How could anyone say ‘no’ to you with that adorable look you have? If you were a superhero, then one of your powers would be Absolute Cuteness._ **
> 
> **_Anyway, I hope today’s gift will show you that you’re the brightest star in the universe._ **
> 
> **_Have a great December 15th, my love. Only ten days to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

He would love to say that after fifteen days, he had grown immune to the blushing effect of the notes, but that would be a lie. In fact, Will wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to not blush whenever his secret admirer wrote something.

Also, he was almost certain that Dustin would not let this whole pouting thing go once he saw it later today, which would be in less than two hours, as his brain informed him when he checked the time. Dustin had told him that he would come over around 11am, which should give him enough time to prepare. Well, of course, unless he was an idiot and decided to draw until the very last minute. Will had set three alarms to avoid that. It was almost a quarter after nine now, so he would have about half an hour before his first alarm rang.

 

~~*** **** ***~~

 

There was a knock on his door the moment the clock turned 11, which made Will believe the other boy had been waiting outside for a while. As he hastily rushed to the door and opened it, the cleric thought his heart had stopped working. Dustin hadn’t exactly  _ dressed up _ , per se, since Will had seen the teen wear these clothes to school before, but normally, the curly-haired boy would’ve chosen T-shirts and hoodies because he claimed they were warmer and more comfortable. Today, however, Dustin had chosen a dark blue button-down shirt with a tiny white pattern, beige khakis, and a greyish army green jacket. Will had always thought Dustin looked good in that shirt, and he was sure he’d mentioned that at least twice to the other boy already, but it hadn’t crossed his mind how handsome the bard looked in this outfit. He was certain he’d forgotten to breathe for a moment.

“H-Hey, Dusty,” Will cleared his throat after realizing he’d been staring for a while, “how long have you been out here?” He asked and stepped back, wordlessly inviting his friend to come in.

“Hi, Will,” the bard sent him his signature thousand-watt-smile that always made him melt, “I only got here just now”.

Another thing Will had noticed about Dustin was the different ways the boy reacted to being called ‘Dusty’. If Mike called him that, the paladin would get a glare and about five minutes of the silent treatment. If the nickname came out of their ranger’s mouth, the bard’s reaction would almost always include a threat or two. However, when Will used it, the teen always gave him the brightest smile in the world. He’d noticed that from the countless times they’d hung out alone because Mike had been busy with Jane, and Lucas with Max. A small voice in his mind reminded him that maybe it was because he only used it when they were alone, and if he used it in front of the Party, there might be a different reaction, but somehow he didn’t think that was the case.

“So, are we leaving right now?” Will asked before realizing how idiotic it was to invite Dustin inside only to leave after thirty seconds. Luckily for him, the other boy only chuckled and shook his head.

“We don’t have to rush,” Dustin hummed. “Plus, I really want to see what your secret admirer gave you today”.

They walked back to Will’s room in silence, although Will could feel that the boy wanted to say something. “What?” He asked with a soft smile, turning towards Dustin as they approached his door.

“I— Uh, nothing,” Dustin said nervously. However, as Will continued giving the boy a questioning look, he sighed in defeat. “I want to tell you that you look breathtaking,” the bard said with a sheepish smile.

Will suddenly felt grateful that they were standing in a dark hallway — or, at least, darker than anywhere else around the house — since he could feel his cheeks heating up at the curly-haired boy’s compliment. In his opinion, Dustin looked far better than him. After about fifteen minutes of standing in his room in his towel, he had decided to wear a long sleeve turquoise shirt, with a pair of dark blue jeans, and the hazelnut colored sweater with white patterns that his secret admirer had given him earlier this week. The taller boy had done a way better job than him.

“T-Thanks, Dusty,” he bit his lips and looked away bashfully, “you’re—” Will paused mid-sentence.  _ ‘Not too bad yourself’? That’s lame _ , he mentally scolded himself.  _ What was the point of being brave if you only did it when you were half asleep? _ The cleric cleared his throat. “You look beautiful, as well”.

If his face was as red as Dustin’s right now, then there was absolutely no way the other boy hadn’t noticed it. Nonetheless, the teen only gave him a bright smile before entering his room, immediately noticing the night lamp on his bedside table.

“That looks cute,” the curly-haired teen chuckled before approaching the nightstand. His eyes then landed on the note Will still had next to the lamp, before turning to the cleric, silently asking for permission.

“Go ahead,” Will found himself saying, smiling softly. He had no idea why, but he wanted to show his friends each and every note his admirer wrote him. Maybe he wanted to show off the amazing admirer he had. Maybe he wanted to watch their expressions, to see if any of them would give away anything. Maybe he just didn’t want to keep the notes a secret, since he figured he’d already kept one that was quite huge.

“So, you pouted for him?” Dustin asked with an amused tone as he finished reading and put the note back.

“If he said so, then I probably did,” Will smiled sheepishly, his cheeks heating up again as the blurry memory of the previous night replayed in his mind.

“I don’t suppose you’d tell me  _ why _ you did that?” The bard raised an eyebrow.

“Would you still try and make me talk about it anyway?” Will chuckled nervously. Dustin could be really persistent, and although there was no way in hell Will would tell  _ anyone _ about what had happened during his admirer’s visits, he also didn’t like the prospect of the bard asking him that question once every five minutes.

“Nah,” Dustin shook his head, “today is  _ my _ day, and I’d rather you thought about me instead of your mysterious someone”.

Once again, Will’s blood all went to his face, but for a different reason this time.

He wondered how Dustin always managed to say those things so casually, as if he didn’t realize how people could’ve taken it if they’d overheard him.

_ But, what if…? _

No. He refused to keep having these thoughts about his straight best friends.

 

~~*** **** ***~~

 

Will knew his ass would be sore for the rest of the weekend once he learned what Dustin wanted them to do.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” He asked nervously as he stood next to his friend in line. “I really don’t— I have never—”

“Don’t worry, Will,” the other boy flashed him a confident smile, “I don’t know how to ice skate either”.

Now, Will didn’t know  _ what _ had gone through Dustin’s mind when the bard had said that, but it definitely did not spark confidence in him. Not by a long shot. The other boy must’ve seen that in his eyes, for he gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Just kidding,” Dustin grinned. “Steve taught me last winter, and he said I was good. You trust me, don’t you?”

Will took a deep breath before finally nodding. He  _ did _ trust Dustin, and he trusted that the boy wouldn’t let him fall miserably. The other boy smiled again before turning around, since it was their turn to buy the tickets. Will hadn’t realized they were still holding hands until Dustin let go of his to get the skating shoes for both of them.

The ice rink inside Starcourt Mall was situated under the skylight, with a huge Christmas tree in the middle. According to the sign, it had been opened since the first of the month and would be open until the first week of January. That probably explained the lack of a crowd in the rink at the moment. Most teenagers in Hawkins had probably gone here weeks ago. Will guessed it was lucky that he wasn’t surrounded by two hundred hyperactive teenagers bumping into him from every direction on his first time skating.

After fifteen minutes inside the rink, Will decided that he didn’t hate ice skating. Sure, his ass had hit the ice no less than ten times within the first five minutes, but Dustin had helped him up every single time, and hadn’t laughed at him once, no matter how ridiculous he’d looked before falling. So, ten minutes, five falls, and three hand imprints on Dustin’s arms later, he’d finally learned how to move around. The taller teen, with the great power of being the more experienced skater, had been given the huge responsibility of keeping Will’s camera safe. That had been why they now had a bunch of photos of Will in every position on the ice.

“There you go,” Dustin nodded his head in approval as Will finished a lap by himself around the rink, stopping at the barrier next to the bard. “You’re getting the hang of it faster than I did. I was still falling after the first hour”.

“Well, I guess I have a better instructor, then,” Will grinned cheekily at his friend. The taller boy had insisted that Will do one lap alone once he’d seen that Will had gotten the hang of it. The thought had terrified Will, but at the same time, it had been really intriguing. He guessed since he’d been overprotected after everything, being able to do things by himself was the best kind of freedom for him.

“Of course you do,” Dustin smirked before pulling Will closer, “now get in here because I want a picture of both of us as well”.

For the next five minutes or so, Will volunteered to stand still and take pictures of Dustin doing all kind of poses. The gentle and soft guy that had taught him how to skate was swiftly replaced by the usual cheerful Dustin that could always crack him up even on his worst day, and this Dustin’s mission seemed to be to undo everything the previous Dustin had done and try to get Will to fall down laughing. Then Dustin decided they should switch, and Will should be the model instead, despite him already being the only person in most of the photos Dustin had taken so far.

“Okay, that’s perfect,” Dustin gave Will a thumbs up when the picture of him skating away from the camera turned out fine. “Now, let’s skate to me,” the curly-haired boy grinned and held up the camera once again.

“We already have like four pictures of me skating to you,” Will rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile on his lips as he did what Dustin had asked him to.

“I wasn’t planning to take another one like that,” Dustin huffed. “And stop right there”.

That was the moment Will knew he was fucked.

For the last half an hour, his method of stopping had been heading to the barrier with raised hands to soften the impact.

Dustin had never taught him how to stop.

Will could see the moment the bard realized that, as his eyes widened half a second before they collided, and both of them ended up falling, with the curly-haired teen being the unlucky one and the cushion for Will.

“Oh, thank god it’s okay,” Dustin said before Will could even register what the other boy was talking about, but then he followed his best friend’s gaze. The bard’s outstretched hand had kept Will’s camera from hitting the ground.

That had done it for Will. The smaller boy started giggling on top of his best friend, at how ridiculous this situation was. Here he was, bumping into Dustin and knocking him down, and the first thing his friend wanted to protect was his camera. His laughter seemed to be contagious, as moments later, the teen underneath him joined in, and the two of them ended up as a laughing and giggling heap on the ice.

“I knocked you down, and you worried about my  _ camera _ ?” Will asked once he’d managed to calm down.

“Well, that is the most fragile thing that wasn’t broken during that little impact,” Dustin said with a smirk. “The only thing that was broken was my not-falling-on-ice streak”.

Will raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even ice skate that much”.

“Still sounded cool though, didn’t it?” Dustin grinned back at him, which only made him roll his eyes affectionately.

That was when Will realized their current position, with him lying on top of the bard.

This was intimate.

A little too intimate.

Will’s eyes quickly darted to Dustin’s lips.

He wanted to kiss those lips.

“Will,” Dustin whispered, snapping him out of whatever trance he was in. Their eyes met, and there was something he couldn’t decipher in the way Dustin looked at him.

Will shook his head vehemently and quickly got up. “Shit, I’m so sorry,” he mentally facepalmed himself before offering his friend a hand. “I’m an idiot for not getting up”.

“It’s okay,” Dustin chuckled. “You literally weigh nothing”. The bard’s eyes then traveled back to Will’s camera on his hand, which, suddenly had a new photo attached to it. “Shit, I think I accidentally pressed a button”.

Dustin, in fact,  _ had _ taken a picture of when they’d both been on the ground. The photo was of Will on top of him, both laughing their hearts out. It was, by far, the best photo of their date.

_ Wait. What? _

No. This wasn’t a date. This was just two best friends hanging out. There was absolutely no reason for Will to think of it as a date.

But then, as he looked around, he started to notice something.

Aside from them, the rest of the people in the rink were either families skating with their children, or couples making heart-eyes at each other.

This wasn’t a date, but it sure felt like one.

Dustin cleared his throat, snapping Will back to reality. “I’m not sure what you’ve been thinking about, but I’m hungry now. McDonald’s?”

 

~~*** **** ***~~

 

“The movie was so great!”

“I know, right? That part where Peter—”

“And Miles was just—”

“When Gwen showed up, I know you squealed”.

“And then Kingpin—”

After McDonald’s, Will and Dustin had gone to the cinema inside the mall for a matinée. Needless to say, the two nerds had chosen what they now called ‘the best animated movie of all time’. They hadn’t stopped talking about it, not during dinner at a food stall, and not now when they were slurping smoothies while walking out of the food court. They had fallen back to the familiar territory, back when the other two boys had been too busy with their respective girlfriends, and the two of them had had to keep each other company almost all the time. Familiar territories were good. He could deal with those.

“So, which one was your favorite?” Will asked.

“Definitely Gwen,” Dustin grinned. “She’s a badass, she is satirical,  _ and _ she has one of the coolest costumes ever”.

Will chuckled at that. He should’ve expected Dustin’s answer to be the coolest girl in the movie. After all, his friend had eyes for girls. “Well, my favorite was—”

“— Miles, right?” Dustin grinned triumphantly. “He likes to express himself using art, just like you”.

“Not just that,” Will rolled his eyes, “he’s also smart and funny, despite being a little bad at flirting. And I love how he kept blaming everything on puberty”. He took another slurp from his smoothie, and his free hand immediately flew to his head to fight off a brain freeze. “Anyway, we should definitely make the guys—” He paused when he realized Dustin had stopped walking two seconds ago and was now looking at something. “Dustin?”

The thing that had caught the bard’s attention was a photo booth. Based on the look his friend was giving him, it was clear what they were about to do.

“Seriously?” Will chuckled and let the curly-haired boy pulled him inside. “You  _ know _ we have an instant camera, right?”

“But it won’t be the same,” Dustin grinned back at him. “Plus, nothing ends a day at the mall better than a photo booth”.

Will rolled his eyes and let his friend select the mode and filter. The booth would take eight photos of them at fixed intervals, and they would later choose the photos they wanted to be printed. There would be options to print a collage later on, but for the moment, all they had to do was change their pose during each countdown.

The first shot was of Will and Dustin standing next to each other, both grinning.

The second shot was of Dustin, with an arm around Will’s shoulder, pulling the shorter boy closer, and rubbing their cheeks against each other. Will’s face might or might not have been slightly red.

In the third shot, their pose had only slightly changed, and instead of rubbing their cheeks together, Dustin was now kissing Will’s.

The fourth shot had Dustin smiling softly at Will, while the other boy was slowly turning his head to look at his friend.

The fifth shot had them both looking at each other, their noses almost touching.

The last three shots were of Will and Dustin, eyes closing, lips connecting.

 

~~*** **** ***~~

 

_ Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! _

Why had he done that? What had gotten into him?

Will was now sitting alone in his living room, crying, his mind constantly replaying the last moments of his and Dustin’s hangout.

For some reason, the moment Dustin had kissed his cheek, something in his brain had switched off. For some reason, he’d turned around and looked into Dustin’s beautiful blue eyes. For some reason, those bright blue eyes had gotten bigger and bigger, and there might have been a voice inside his head wondering whether he’d been leaning in. For some reason, his arms had wrapped around Dustin’s neck, and Dustin’s hands had been on his hips. For some reason, he’d leaned in and connected their lips.

Kissing Dustin had been different from kissing Lucas. It had been different, but had felt equally amazing. While with Lucas, it had felt like he had been guided, taught the dance by someone with more experience than him, with Dustin, it had felt like they’d been on an adventure, cautiously but eagerly exploring new paths together. The bard’s soft lips had been as unfamiliar to that dance as his, and maybe that had been why, when his friend had licked his lips tentatively, asking for permission, Will had eagerly granted it. That, and the intoxicating scent of one Dustin Henderson. They could’ve kissed for seconds, minutes, hours. Will hadn’t been able to tell. He’d been too lost in the amazing mixed between his berries smoothie and the bard’s mango smoothie. He’d been too lost in the phenomenal feeling of kissing his straight best friend.

That particular thought had brought him back to reality. That thought had made him pull away. That thought had made him apologize over and over again. That thought had made him bolt, leaving Dustin in that booth with their smoothies. That thought had tormented him the whole ride home, and was still tormenting him now.

Will had kissed his best friend. Again.

What was wrong with him? The moment his friends were okay with him being gay, he just had to go and turn things upside down.

His day with Lucas had ended with him kissing the ranger before running away.

His day with Dustin had ended with him  _ french kissing _ the bard before running away.

How would his day with Mike be?

What would his other friends say when they found out about this?

What would his admirer say when he found out about this?

How had Will messed up everything once again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like this chapter? As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Did I manage to surprise you somehow? Or was everything expected?
> 
> And as usual, who do you think the secret admirer was? Have I changed your mind somehow?


	17. Sunday, December 16th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I apologize for the late update. Some of my proofreaders don't reply to my comments.  
> Either way, the next chapter is here now.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Jesus! What are you doing, Will?”

What was he doing? He supposed he was sleeping at whatever ungodly hour this was. Unlike a certain someone, he wasn’t running around Hawkins all night, but rather preferred to stay in bed, warm and cozy with his…

Wait, where was his blankie? And why was it so cold here?

“Why didn’t you come to bed? It’s freezing out here”.

Oh.

Right…

He had fallen asleep on the couch, for some reason. That hadn’t happened for a while — way back when his mom had been able to pick him up and carry him to bed. If Joyce were to catch him in this situation right now, she probably would not be able to do anything other than bring him a blanket.

However, his mom wasn’t the one who’d found him, and his secret admirer had another plan in mind. The small boy felt an arm wrapped under his knees, and another being gently placed behind his back, before he was carefully lifted up bridal style. He’d always thought it would’ve felt uncomfortable, being picked up like that, but turned out it was sort of nice. Or maybe it was because the secret admirer was doing his best not to hurt him or something. Either way, his head was now resting against his admirer’s chest, his ears listening to the mysterious boy’s heartbeat. The steady rhythm had a weird calming effect on him, and he found himself unable to recall why he’d been upset in the first place.

Sooner than Will would’ve liked, he was lowered down onto his bed, and his blanket was pulled up to his chest. In his half-asleep state, the cleric decided that his best move to convince his admirer to stay would be to wrap his arms around the other boy’s torso while he was still leaning down, preventing him from pulling away, so he did exactly that.

“Will,” the admirer sighed, “I really can’t stay”.

_ Yes, you can _ , Will wanted to say,  _ you don’t have to leave just yet _ .

He wasn’t sure if he’d actually said any of those thoughts out loud, or if it was because of his determination, or even if he was pouting to convince his admirer, but he could practically feel the guy relenting.

“If,  _ if _ I lay down for a little bit,” the secret admirer said softly, “will you go back to sleep?”

Will guessed he must’ve hummed or nodded, because he could hear his admirer sighing before the bed shifted, and the guy laid down on top of his blanket and wrapped an arm around him. He supposed that was the best he could ask for, for now, so the brown-haired boy turned onto his side and rest his head against the admirer’s chest.

“Good night, Will,” his admirer said before kissing the top of his head, and Will found himself mumbling something back.

As his mind drifted back to sleep, he wondered whether he’d said  _ ‘good night’ _ or ‘ _ love you’ _ .

He didn’t know which one he’d prefer.

 

~~*** *** ***~~

 

Will was woken up by the smell of pancakes. He donned a dopey smile as he buried himself deeper in his blanket. Joyce’s pancakes were his favorite, but she didn’t make them too often. The last time she had, was when she’d told him about her trip—

_ Wait, what? _

The brown-haired boy immediately bolted up.

His mom was halfway across the country, and the last time he checked, Joyce Byers couldn’t be in two places at once.

He tentatively stood up and slowly headed to the door. The boy had an urge to find any kind of weapon before stepping into the danger zone, but he decided against it. He didn’t think anyone would break into someone’s house and make breakfast in their kitchen like this. Furthermore, the kitchen was full of weapons. He didn’t want to give whoever that was another reason to grab a handful of those. Finally, and most importantly, he didn’t have any weapon whatsoever in his room. Well, technically he had a candle holder, but he had absolutely no idea how to fight with it, and the story Lucas and Dustin had told him only said that Mike had  _ tried to _ do that.

Lucky for him, when he entered the kitchen, he was met with a familiar face.

“Morning, Will,” Lucas greeted. “You’re up later than usual today. Also, did you dress up before bed for your admirer or something?”

Will’s eyes darted towards the kitchen clock.  _ 7.33am _ . That  _ was _ a little later than usual, but he had an excuse. He’d had to move around a lot yesterday, not to mention the ice skating. Also, since he’d fallen asleep on the couch the previous night, of course he hadn’t changed into his pajamas.

But that wasn’t the important part.

“Lucas? What are you doing here at this hour?” The shorter boy asked, frowning. “And how did you get in here?” He was certain that he’d locked the door first thing after he’d gotten home last night.  _ Did the admirer open it? _

“Same way your admirer did,” the ranger grinned. “And I had a feeling whatever Dustin’s plan was, it’d make you tired enough that you overslept, so I came here to make you breakfast. Looks like I was right”.

Will felt his cheeks heating up. Lucas had come over even  _ before _ he’d woken up to make him breakfast. He had to remind himself that this was what best friends would do for each other, and if it had been anyone else, Lucas would’ve done the same.

“You really didn’t have to do that, though,” he sighed.

“If I hadn’t, you would’ve been too distracted to even make breakfast,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “With the secret admirer and the gift and—”

“Shit! The gift!” The cleric exclaimed and dashed back to his room. He hadn’t thought about it since he’d woken up because of Lucas’ unannounced presence, and also because of how tiny today’s gift was.

On his nightstand, like usual, there was a cream-colored note waiting for him to read. This note, however, lay on top of a red envelope that, if Will had to guess, contained the surprise of the day. Once again, he reached for the note first.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You have gone through so much hardship in your life, I don’t think any of the Party members could say that they’ve had it worse than you. You deserve to be happy more than anyone. That’s why I started this thing — to make you happy. Don’t forget about that._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift is something for the four of us to share, since I have a feeling you wouldn’t enjoy it alone, and I obviously can’t enjoy it with only you just yet._ **
> 
> **_Happy December 16th! Only 9 more days._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will had accepted that he would never not blush after reading these notes, so he’d stopped trying to fight it.

Because how could he ever not blush if his admirer said that about him? Sure, he’d had a rough childhood with his father, and sure, he’d been the target of the upside down on more than one occasion, but they had all suffered too. He wouldn’t say he had the worst among them.

_ And what is this present? Something for all of us? _ Will had no idea what that meant. But again, most of the time he had no idea what his gift was. This one didn’t have to be unwrapped, though, so he quickly opened the envelope and took out the content.

They were…

Tickets?

Will’s brows furrowed as he examined today’s little surprises. They were tickets to an indoor waterpark. Based on the address, he guessed it was about half an hour drive from Hawkins. It had certainly taken him by surprise, since he’d never thought he would ever go to a waterpark in winter.

“Knock knock,” Lucas interrupted his train of thought as he leaned against the door frame, “breakfast is ready”.

 

~~*** *** ***~~

 

“I see,” Lucas hummed. “He wanted to take you there, but obviously, he couldn’t just come out and do that, so he invited all of us”.

They had finished the pancakes, and Will had insisted on doing the dishes since Lucas had already cooked, so the black boy was now sitting at the dining table examining  _ their  _ present.  _ This was addressed to all of us, after all _ .

“Well, obviously I wouldn’t go to this waterpark without my friends,” Will shot his friend a warm smile before turning back to the sink, “especially not on my first time”.

It wasn’t a secret that Will, Dustin, and Jane had never been to a waterpark their entire lives. Mike and Lucas both had gone with their families, and Max with her friends back in California. However, Jane didn’t find the concept of waterparks very intriguing — it reminded her of those sensory deprivation tanks that had haunted her childhood.

“Woah, have you read this?” Lucas held up the tickets as Will put the last plate back to their place and turned back to the other boy with a quizzical look. “It’s only valid until the last day of this year”.

“Yeah, so?” Will’s brows furrowed. They still had half a month left. He didn’t see why that was a big deal.

“ _ So _ , if you exclude school days, and the days we’ll be in New York,  _ and _ your day with Mike,” the ranger didn’t continue, letting Will’s brain come up with the answer itself. Which, it did.

_ Today is the only day we can use that _ .

“Oh shit!” Will cursed out loud. “Mike can’t leave until his parents leave. What are we going to do?”

“Way ahead of you,” Lucas grinned, and Will only now noticed that he’d been texting the others. “Mike’s parents will leave before 9. I told him to bring his car over and asked him to pick up my stuff on the way. Dustin is coming”.

Will facepalmed himself. While he’d been busy dreaming and freaking out, Lucas had done everything. “God, I’m such an idiot,” he chuckled, his voice slightly muffled. “I wonder what my secret admirer sees in me”.

Because his hands were covering his eyes, he didn’t see the look on Lucas’ face. He also didn’t see that Lucas had stood up and walked towards him. He had no way of knowing any of those until the taller boy gently removed his hands before cupping his cheeks and looking into his eyes.

“I have no idea what  _ you _ see in yourself, but it’s definitely not what we see in you,” the taller boy said softly, and Will felt his face heating up again, at Lucas’ words, at their current position, at everything Lucas. An alarm sounded in Will’s brain. He needed to get out of it before he did something he’d regret later. It felt like Lucas was this bright star, sending warmth and light to everyone around him. But Will was now too close to that star, and despite its mesmerizing beauty, he was now risking being blinded and burned by it. The shorter boy averted his eyes and bit his lips nervously. “T-Thanks, Luke”.

“No problem,” Lucas chuckled and moved his hand down, taking Will’s before heading to the living room couch. “Now, since we have a little bit of time, what did you and Dustin do yesterday?”

That had set off a whole different alarm in him. He really didn’t want to be known as  _ that gay kid who went and kissed all his best friends _ . “I— Uh, we went ice skating,” Will’s heart was thumping in his chest, and there was no way Lucas wouldn’t notice this with their current proximity and his hand in—  _ Wait, what? _ The smaller boy clumsily withdrew his hand and focused on a point somewhere between his feet. “And a movie, and food. What about you? What did you and Mike do yesterday?” He asked, immediately changing the topic before the ranger noticed his behavior.

Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn’t press on. “Well, I kinda sorta took him out”.

Will had not expected to hear that at all. “I’m sorry, what?”

The other boy just shrugged. “Well, you and Dustin were having alone time, so I thought, why not? I’ll have that with Mike. We went out for dinner and ice cream”.

Will mentally slapped himself. He shouldn’t have asked that. Despite knowing that Lucas had meant ‘a friendly hangout between two people’, his mind couldn’t help but imagine something more… romantic. He couldn’t stop thinking about his two best friends, walking home under the moonlight, smearing ice cream on each other, maybe some would end on their lips, maybe…

He needed to stop that train of thought. That image, along with the memories of Lucas and Dustin kissing him, wasn’t helpful at all for a boy who’d need to wear a swim trunk later that day.

 

~~*** *** ***~~

 

Turned out, his mind barely had time to think about anything, as he’d been jumping from one indoor slide to another.

Well, not technically true, since there was one huge elephant in the room. Despite not being as bad as with Lucas, Will and Dustin had been awkward for the whole day. They couldn’t look each other in the eyes, and if there was a slide that required two people, they would pair up with one of the other boys.

Okay, that might not be the whole truth. Will knew he couldn’t look Dustin in the eyes without remembering their kiss, and he really didn’t want yet another thing to prevent him from getting over the cute curly-haired guy. He assumed that Dustin also didn’t want to look him in the eyes, because now Will was  _ that gay kid who went and kissed everyone _ . Also, because he didn’t want his friend to feel uncomfortable, he’d been trying his best to not be alone with the bard.

Or, maybe it was all of the above and also because the longer he managed to avoid a private conversation with Dustin, the longer he could delay that unavoidable rejection speech. He knew he was being a coward — another proof that his friends made up whatever bravery they insisted that he had, but as long as he didn’t face it, he could still pretend that it meant something. Of course, that would put a damper on the whole ‘getting over him’ plan, but he’d take what he could.

Avoiding having a conversation with the bard when the four of them were hanging out in a waterpark was a dumb plan, though, as that currently gave him no one to talk to. Lucas was trying to teach Mike how to float, and their paladin was failing because the boy couldn’t relax his muscles enough. Every time the ranger tried to remove his hands, their dungeon master sank and blindly grabbed onto his friend for help. This was the fifth time Will watched the scene, but it was still as amusing as the first.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder from behind. “Hey,” Dustin’s warm voice came right after.

Will didn’t think he’d ever let out a yelp that loud. They’d definitely attracted the attention of everyone around.

“Jeez, I didn’t know I’d acquired Mile’s touch,” the bard chuckled nervously as he swam backward, putting a little space behind them.

“N-No, I’m sorry,” Will’s cheeks were heating up, but he still couldn’t meet the other boy’s gaze. “I was just caught off guard, that’s all”.

“What did you do to him?” Mike asked as he and Lucas joined them. His voice was mostly curious, although there was also a hint of something else underneath.

“Relax, Mike,” the curly-haired boy scoffed. “I came up from behind him”.

“Sounded like you were trying to stab him,” Lucas remarked.

“I was surprised,” Will said defensively. “Won’t happen again”.

“Let’s just all get in the jacuzzi,” Dustin rolled his eyes and started swimming away.

 

~~*** *** ***~~

 

For the rest of the afternoon, Will did his best to pair up with one of his other two friends. That was why he was now at the front of a double water tube clutching onto Lucas’ legs screaming his lungs out as they descend down a pitch black tube. Will believed that these adrenaline rushes would feel even better when you shrieked like a banshee at a funeral during the intense moments — a belief that, sadly, neither Lucas nor Mike shared with him. Nonetheless, they hadn’t complained when his or Dustin’s voice had echoed inside those tubes, so it hadn’t affected them much. 

Will had originally thought that he would grow bored of the tubes soon — they seemed quite repetitive after all — but the only reason this was their last ride was that, ever since they’d arrived here at around 11am, they hadn’t done anything but playing in the water, and it was almost 5pm now and he was starving. Therefore they had decided to go for one last ride before leaving.

When he got back from a shower, Will knew there was no way for him to postpone it anymore. Dustin was waiting for him next to their lockers, alone.

“W-Where are Mike and Lucas?” He asked, chuckling nervously.

“They’re getting the car,” Dustin said with a shrug. “I said I would wait for you”.

Will nodded and continued getting things out. If he was fast enough, maybe they—

“Can we talk about what happened?”

No luck, then.

He finally turned around and looked at Dustin. The curly-haired boy didn’t seem to like the conversation any more than Will did.

“Look, I’m sorry that happened,” Dustin sighed, and Will could see hurt, regret, and a bunch of other feelings he didn’t recognize in the taller boy’s eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, and if I could take it back, I would. But I don’t want to lose my best friend, so can we just put that aside?”

It wasn’t exactly like what Will had expected. He’d thought Dustin would’ve said something like  _ ‘that was a mistake’ _ and  _ ‘I only think of you as a friend’ _ , or maybe even  _ ‘I was experimenting and I didn’t like it’ _ . It still hurt nevertheless. “So, we should just pretend like it never happened?”

The bard’s face contorted into a painful expression. “I don’t think I could do that if I wanted to,” he grimaced. “But we don’t have to think about it all the time. Did you have a good time before that?”

It was difficult to think about yesterday and see beyond the kiss, but his friend had a point. And he had had a great day. He’d learned something new, watched an amazing movie, and spent the entire day with someone he loved. He also enjoyed the constant hand-holding, the happy glint in Dustin’s eyes, and their proximity in general, but those were a little closer to that kiss so he wouldn’t mention it. “Yeah,” he said with a small smile, “I had a great time”.

“And I would love to have that again with you,” Dustin said, smiling as well, “but we can’t do that if today keeps happening again and again. So, what do you say?”

Will knew he couldn’t not think of the kiss, but he also knew the curly-haired teen was right. There was more to the bard than just their kiss. Dustin was light, joy, and the life of the Party. He knew he missed his friend, and that feeling was worse when said friend was right there. So, he didn’t even consider the other option. “Yeah, let’s put that aside”.

Dustin grinned and stood up. “Can I get a hug?” He asked awkwardly.

Will chuckled and wrapped his arms around the taller teen. “Of course you can get a hug,” he said softly. “I don’t think Dustin Henderson and not hugging people get along”.

The other boy snorted as he pulled away. “Funny, Byers. Now, next problem”. He grabbed something from his backpack and handed it to Will.

_ Oh _ .

His camera. And the photos from yesterday.

He hadn’t even thought about it the whole day, having something bigger to occupy his time. Although, he supposed he wouldn’t have brought it where things could go wrong five times a minute either.

“You literally left  _ everything _ behind yesterday,” Dustin rolled his eyes and started walking towards the exit. “Do what you like with the last photo. I’ll head outside first”.

Will knew why the other boy didn’t just give him the camera on their way there when he reached the end of the photo stack. Most of the photos he’d already seen from yesterday — they’d been taken while they’d been skating, or waiting for the movie. All but the last four. Those hadn’t been taken by his camera at all, but rather by that photo booth. There were two with him and Dustin goofing around, one with Dustin kissing his cheek, and one of their kiss.

_ ‘Do what you like with the last photo’ _ .

Had Dustin wanted to see whether he would throw it away or keep it?

_ ‘Do what you like with the last photo’ _ .

He knew he would keep it, but…  _ Why did Dustin print that out in the first place if he didn’t want to be reminded of that? _

_ ‘Do what you like with the last photo’ _ .

As he put everything away and followed his friend, one last thought occurred to him.

_ Did Dustin say ‘I couldn’t if I wanted to’? Does he… not want to forget about it? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd originally planned to have more Wheelclair, but I guess that would have to do.
> 
> Comments are very appreciated, because I'd love to know what you think of this chapter.
> 
> Finally, feel free to guess which ship will be the endgame :) Unfortunately, it's been decided so you wouldn't be able to change my mind anymore.


	18. Monday, December 17th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> Welcome back to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> These updates have been a little later than I'd planned, but at least they're here, I guess.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“It’s like you can feel whenever I’m in the room now,” the secret admirer chuckled softly. Will decided that he loved that sound, despite the fact that he couldn’t tell that voice apart from any of his friends’. It didn’t matter. He made his admirer laugh.

The sleepy boy hummed in response as he continued tugging gently on the mysterious guy’s clothes. That had been the first thing he’d grabbed when he’d felt the other boy next to his bed. It could’ve been the guy’s scarf, for all he knew, but he guessed it was his sweater.

“Want me to lie down for a bit again?” the admirer asked, as if somehow Will had changed his mind after days of asking him to do just that.

“Yes, please,” he mumbled back. He heard his secret admirer’s sigh again before his bed shifted due to the added weight. Will acted on instinct and pulled his blanket off and put it back on after the guy had laid down. He just knew his admirer would’ve laid on top of it if he hadn’t done that.

“You said you wanted to,” Will slurred.

“You remember that?” The admirer whispered in a surprised tone.

Will only scoffed and snuggled closer to the guy. Of course he remembered. Even if he hadn’t reread the notes almost every single night, he wouldn’t have forgotten if someone told him they wanted to cuddle under the Christmas blanket they’d given him.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” the secret admirer said softly. “You don’t even know who I am”.

“Yes I do,” Will mumbled back, “you’re my best friend”.

“But you don’t know which one I am,” the admirer flicked his forehead gently.

_ It doesn’t matter. I think I’m in love with you _ .

He didn’t say that, of course. However, he did manage to pull back a little and lean in again, connecting their lips — a feat he deemed extremely difficult when one was half asleep with their eyes closed. The secret admirer tensed up a little before relaxing again, kissing him back languidly. Will sighed happily as their lips slotted together. It felt right.

The admirer eventually pulled back and planted a kiss on his forehead. “You really need to sleep, Will”.

Will sighed and nodded his head slowly, before burying his face in the other boy’s sweater.

“It’s snowing again,” his secret admirer whispered. “I hope you’ll wear my sweater”.

Before he could point out that he’d been wearing that sweater almost every day, Will drifted off to sleep.

 

~~*** ** ***~~

 

Will Byers knew he was royally screwed.

Well, he’d already been screwed when he’d found out that he had a crush on his best friend Mike Wheeler.

Then he’d been majorly screwed when he’d found out that he didn’t have a crush on _just_ _one_ of his best friends.

And now, on top of it, he had to have feelings for the mysterious guy who broke into his room every single night.

Technically he knew the mysterious guy was one of his three friends, so that didn’t change the number of people he had a crush on, but at the moment, his secret admirer felt like an entirely different person.

Like usual, he woke up alone in his bed. Not that he’d expected or hoped to wake up in someone’s arms, but he wouldn’t have opposed that either. The cleric slowly turned to his side and looked outside his window, noting the change in his usual view. A thin layer of snow had coated everything — the trees, the ground, anything outside his house. It was almost like he was looking at Narnia from the first film.  _ Well, he did say it was snowing _ , Will thought before frowning a little. He hoped his admirer had gotten home safely. Other than the fact that he wanted his friends to be safe and if anything happened to his admirer he would forever blame himself, it would be very suspicious if suddenly one of his friends caught a cold or something, and despite desperately wanting to know who that was, he also wanted his admirer’s plan to go as smoothly as possible.

He supposed he would cross that bridge when he got to it, but for now, his eyes had finally landed on the one thing that could distract him from almost anything, and Will suddenly felt like a kid on Christmas Day. He supposed that, in a way, he was. On his nightstand was a small package and a familiar cream-colored note — the note that would undoubtedly turn his face crimson red after he read it.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I didn’t think you would remember what I wrote in my notes. Even I don’t remember everything I wrote there. Luckily, I don’t have to, because if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything._ **
> 
> **_Although I’m not sure what I’d expected, since of course you’d remember all the little things. It’s you, after all. You’re just that perfect._ **
> 
> **_When I sat down and planned the gifts, I obviously didn’t know a certain something would happen, but I’m glad it did. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it._ **
> 
> **_Have a wonderful December 17th, Will. Last week before Christmas._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **
> 
> **_P.S: Thank you for the thing we just did. I_ ** **~~_don’t mind doing it again if you_ ~~** **_would love to do it again sometime._ **

 

The cleric had to reread everything three times to process what had been written.

_ Mark Twain? Really? _ As much as he loved his boys, he knew none of them dwelled on that particular area. Yes, they all read, but they read Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, not Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn — not voluntarily, at least. The only person he knew would be interested in that period’s writing was his soon-to-be stepsister, and he couldn’t remember a time Jane quoted Mark Twain in front of them.

_ Unless… _

No. He wouldn’t let himself think of it.

Furthermore, he had something else to focus on other than the quote. Like the fact that his admirer wanted to cuddle him again. Or the present that his admirer kept not-hinting in his note. Or the fact that his admirer wanted to cuddle him again.

That was all he could focus on as his body went on autopilot and carefully unwrapped his gift, but it didn’t really bother him since he hadn’t been able to correctly guess the presents anyway. His mind kept reminding him of the feeling when he’d snuggled closer to his admirer. Somehow, that moment was more special than the hand holdings with Dustin. Somehow, that moment was more special than falling asleep on Lucas’ lap. Somehow, that moment was more special than all the times Mike had pulled him closer and hugged him. He just couldn’t figure out why.

Today’s gift was a beanie hat. It was dark green, like the color of pine leaves, and had a white pom-pom on top. He’d always wanted one like that, but had never gotten one, because most of his clothes were hand-me-downs from Jonathan, and his older brother’s style was a lot more different from his own. The young Byers never told anyone about that, so either, once again, his admirer had gotten a lucky guess, or someone had been  _ really _ observant. He definitely would bet on the latter.

The hat also explained the idiotic and cryptic way his admirer had written the note. This hat as a gift on a snowy day seemed perfect. He couldn’t help but wonder what his admirer would think when he showed up at school wearing  _ everything _ the guy had given him.

 

~~*** ** ***~~

 

Will was the first one at lunch that day.

That didn’t happen very often, since his second period classroom was the furthest from the cafeteria, and as his luck would have it, in the opposite wing from the boys. However, half the school was rushing there because of some kind of commotion, so he imagined the boys would have a hard time squeezing past a thousand smelly teenagers.

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, being alone for a few minutes, since he could have some peace and quiet before the Dustin storm. The curly-haired teen had kept his promise to not ask Will more than once what he and the admirer had done at night, but Mike had never said anything about bugging others, so the bard had been trying to convince the other two to ask the question for him. It hadn’t worked so far, but they all knew Dustin, and unless someone did something about it, the guy wouldn’t quit.

He also needed to think about what to buy later. They’d decided to go Christmas shopping after school, since collectively they had one present for Jonathan and one for Nancy, and Dustin had mentioned that he still hadn’t bought presents for everyone. They could all get to the mall and split up to get something. Maybe he could get something else for the boys as well, since the present he’d gotten for his secret admirer, whichever that was, was grossly inadequate, considering how the guy had given him seventeen gifts since the beginning of the month. For Dustin, he’d gotten the boy a new watch that had the Death Star in the background. This was the bard’s favorite ultimate weapon of mass destruction, even after the introduction of the Starkiller Base. For Lucas, Will had bought three new bandanas for his collection. He knew they wouldn’t be used very often during winter, but hopefully, the ranger would make use of them when spring came. For Mike, the cleric had found an elegant brown leather notebook with the paladin symbol on the front. Since his friend loved writing down random ideas, the gift would certainly be used often, and who knew, maybe some of the things the paladin wrote down would turn into a bestselling book or a blockbuster. They all got a portrait of themselves from him as well, of course, but he hardly thought it would be enough to match with twenty-five presents.

Lost in thought, Will was startled when Lucas put his lunch tray down next to him. The smaller boy looked over in confusion before scanning the now more crowded cafeteria. Lucas had his class with Mike, and their classroom was a little further than Dustin’s, so the other two should’ve been at the table as well.

“They’re not coming,” Lucas sighed, apparently reading Will’s mind. “Lunch detention”.

That had definitely gotten the cleric’s attention. “What?” His eyes widened. “What happened?”

The ranger looked like he’d rather do anything than have this conversation. “Mike and I found Troy pinning Dustin against the wall,” he said reluctantly. “Apparently, James saw you guys on Saturday. Short version, Mike decked him and Dustin got out of Troy’s grip, but Ms. Montgomery saw the punch and gave them both detention”.

Will didn’t think his eyes had been that wide in his life. He knew he should’ve been glad that of all people, his art teacher had been the one to end the commotion. If there had been no adults around, Troy and James would’ve retaliated, and things would’ve gotten a lot worse. If anyone else who didn’t know that Mike and Dustin were good students had been around, they would probably have gotten something far worse than just lunchtime detention. But he couldn’t stop thinking about how if he had acted differently somehow during their not-date, maybe it wouldn’t have ended up like this. Maybe his straight friends wouldn’t have gotten in trouble. May—

“Will,” Lucas put his arm over the smaller boy’s shoulder, “stop overthinking”. His friend had that worried look on his face, and it bothered him a little that the ranger was more concerned about him than about their two other friends. “Troy and James are going to torment us anyway. They don’t really need any excuse to do so. You also know how Mike is when someone insults his friends. Now, can you look me in the eyes and tell me he wasn’t going to punch those jerks in the face eventually?”

Lucas pulling him closer definitely helped to calm him down a little, at least enough to think logically again. The taller boy had a point. Mike never cared if someone said or did something bad to him, but he always lost his temper easily when the target was Will, Lucas, Dustin, Jane, or even Max — although the paladin would never admit caring about the redhead. He supposed what had just happened would’ve happened sooner or later, and since the bullies were afraid of Jane and Max, this would’ve been the ‘ideal’ week for that to happen.

“But Mike and Dustin are gonna get in trouble,” Will sighed. “Not the best timing for us”. Their parents would know and they wouldn’t be allowed to go to New York anymore as a punishment.

“You know Ms. Montgomery knows we’re good,” Lucas assured. “I think she only did it so Troy and James wouldn’t retaliate soon. She wouldn’t make a big deal of it. But just to be safe, we’re gonna avoid splitting up as much as possible”. The dark-skinned boy chuckled. “And even if the school calls their houses, neither Mike’s nor Dustin’s parents are in town. They can’t exactly do anything about it”.

“I suppose,” Will murmured. He definitely didn’t like what had happened, but he had no way to change it. He also couldn’t shake the thought that if he’d done something differently, his friends wouldn’t have been in this mess.

“Don’t think too hard about it,” Lucas nudged his shoulder gently. “Would you blame me if somehow they saw me and Mike instead?”

“W-What? No! Why—?” His eyes widened. “I would never— I mean, you guys aren’t—”

“I took him out to dinner,” Lucas reminded Will. “That wasn’t too different from ice skating or going to the movies. The point is, they’re gonna bully us for walking next to each other, so why should we give a shit?”

Will hated it when his friends were right, and lately, they’d been right quite often. “So, did you have a good time with him?” He asked in an attempt to change the topic.

“It was nice,” the ranger said, a soft smile forming on his lips. It reminded Will of the smile the other boy had once had when talking about Max, although there was something different about this one that he couldn’t figure out. “Since each of us has a day to spend with you alone, when one of us is with you, technically the other two can also go out on a date or something, so I figured, why not?”

Will’s heart was threatening to explode. He knew Lucas had said  _ ‘date’ _ . He’d heard it loud and clear. But what had his friend meant? Had he said that because he wanted to go on a date with someone? Had Lucas’ day with Mike been a date? The ranger had mentioned taking their paladin out, so it could’ve been one. Or did Lucas want to go out with Dustin? He knew the taller boy had talked about how cute their curly-haired friend looked when he was riled up.

Or…

Had Will’s day with Lucas been a date? Had it only been a coincidence that Lucas had taken him to Lovers’ Lake for a picnic?

Had that kiss meant something?

“S-So, was your day with Mike the same as your day with me?” Will had a million questions on his mind. That was why he couldn’t believe  _ that _ had been the one leaving his lips. He couldn’t believe  _ that _ was the question he wanted to hear the answer the most. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to hear the answer to that. He wasn’t sure what kind of answer he was expecting and what would be the better answer.

It had taken Lucas a bit to understand what Will was asking, but when he did, the taller boy chuckled and shook his head. “If you’re asking me whether I kissed Mike, I didn’t,” his friend said softly, and Will could feel his face heating up.

Other than the fact that this had been the first time in a week their kiss was brought up, he had practically just asked whether Lucas had kissed Mike.  _ Of course he didn’t. He’s straight. They’re both straight. You’re best friends with both of their exes _ . The shorter boy nodded shyly before turning back to his lunch tray. He definitely needed to get his mind away from this topic, or any topics that revolved around his friends’ sexuality.

“D-Do you have any ideas what to get for Nancy?” The cleric cleared his throat and asked, changing the topic.

 

~~*** ** ***~~

 

“I have to give it to him,” Mike hummed, “this one is definitely better than the eggos he bought Jane last year”.

“But is there any specific reason behind this choice?” Lucas asked.

“Not really,” Dustin shrugged. “I just thought this best resembled them”.

Will’s plan to split up after arriving at the mall had been thrown out the window. Apparently, the Party’s new plan was to move as a pack through every gift shops to find presents for everyone. Luckily, other than Dustin’s gifts for Max and Jane, they only needed to pick something for Jonathan and Nancy. Will had thought the curly-haired teen hadn’t bought presents for anyone, but apparently, the boys’ gifts had been safely hidden somewhere in the Hendersons home.

“I like it,” Will said, smiling at the presents. The bard had gotten Max and Jane matching necklaces. Max would get one with the sun symbol, and Jane, the moon. He found it fitting for some reason — the cleric could definitely see the sun’s burning energy in their zoomer, and the moon’s calm and quiet aura in their mage. That had actually given him an idea for a new drawing.

“Great to hear that I have the approval from both ex-boyfriends and the future stepbrother,” Dustin grinned. “Now all I’ll have to do is bring them home and wrap them carefully”.

“And trash your living room while you’re at it, too?” Lucas snickered. “You’re like a miniature hurricane when it’s gift wrapping time”.

“Well, neither my mom nor the cats will be complaining now, will they?” The bard huffed and punched his friend lightly. “They’re having the time of their lives visiting my aunt Arlene and my cousin, so I don’t need to worry about making a mess  _ anywhere _ ”.

“What if we wanted to have a sleepover?” The dark-skinned boy rolled his eyes.

“Then we can have it at either the Wheelers’ or the Byers’ instead”.

Will tuned out Dustin and Lucas’ conversation as his hand wrapped around his present for Nancy. He didn’t really know what to get her, and he didn’t even know if she liked anything, but he’d gotten her a fountain pen nonetheless. Mike had assured him that his sister would love it, but seeing how Mike and Nancy didn’t really share a lot with each other, he wasn’t sure if it was the truth.

Mike and Will had been sought out for their opinion in almost every shop they’d been to, because most of the presents they’d bought today were for Jonathan and Nancy. He’d never thought about how difficult it was to get multiple gifts for one person until now, when the boys were trying their best not to get two of something for someone. He couldn’t imagine what his admirer had gone through to get him something each day for twenty-five days. This had given him a new appreciation for the mysterious guy.

“By the way, guys,” Dustin turned to Will and Mike, “do you plan on getting Steve something?”

Based on the way Mike and Lucas’ eyes widened, it was apparent that they’d all forgotten about that.

“Shit!” Mike cursed under his breath before the three of them dashed towards three different directions, leaving a flabbergasted Dustin behind.

“Wait! Guys! You really don’t—”

Will circled back and grabbed Dustin’s hand before dragging him away. “We’re getting Steve something, and I’d love to get some help choosing the perfect present,” he said and turned to look at the bard, who was wearing a slightly shocked expression. The boy quickly snapped out of it and gave the cleric his most confident, ‘leave it to me’ grin.

It didn’t occur to Will until much later, that it had been the first time they spent time alone since their talk on Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do you like this chapter? Have I bored you yet? Did you think your preferred ship didn't get enough love? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> Also, if you're the first person to correctly guess the name of Dustin's cousin (and you're not one of my proofreaders), I'll give you a shoutout.
> 
> I've also put an easter egg in every chapter of mine. If you can spot it, you'll also get an honorable mention.
> 
> Until next time.


	19. Tuesday, December 18th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> Just wanna say, enjoy!

“Fuck, it’s cold outside,” his secret admirer cursed under his breath.

Will couldn’t help but chuckle. It had been snowing the entire day, and he guessed it hadn’t stopped.

“Are you laughing at my misfortune, Will Byers?” The admirer asked incredulously. “Did your mom teach you to treat others like that?”

_ Did  _ your _ mom teach you to break into others’ rooms? _ he tried to say with a snort, but apparently, being sardonic didn’t mix well with being half-asleep, since from what he could tell, neither the tone nor the snort got conveyed, and the words ran into one another.

“You little shit,” the guy chuckled, “you’re a lot more sarcastic when you’re like this”.

The half-sleeping boy turned towards the source of the voice and blindly made grabby hands. “C’mere,” he mumbled.

There was some shuffling before the bed dipped under the added weight of his admirer. The chestnut-brown-haired boy immediately wrapped his arms around the guy’s torso and buried his face in the admirer’s chest. Other than the fact that the guy’s sweater was freezing, which had made Will shiver a little, he wouldn’t change a thing about this situation if he could.

Well, maybe he’d want to know who the admirer was. But he’d decided that he’d respect the boy’s wish and wait until Christmas, no matter how easy it would be to just pinch himself awake in this situation.

“Told you, it’s cold outside,” the guy said softly. “You should let me warm up first”.

“You’re still comfy,” Will mumbled in protest before strengthening his grip a little. He didn’t think his admirer would try to leave, so he only did it to make a point.

“And you still don’t know who I am,” the mysterious guy huffed.

If the cleric had been awake right that moment, he would’ve rolled his eyes and punched his secret admirer in the arm. Will wasn’t the one who’d come up with this whole  _ secret admirer _ thing.

“I know who you are,” he protested, “you’re my best friend”.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” the other teen chided. “You don’t know who you’re cuddling right now. I might not be who you think I am. I might not be who you w—”

Although Will didn’t have a lot of experience in this particular field, he believed he’d found the best way to shut someone up. It was amazing how he’d managed to find his admirer’s lips with his eyes closed. Maybe he’d gotten used to the guy, or maybe it was just dumb luck. Or maybe it was just impossible to miss someone’s lips when you were cupping their cheeks. He didn’t have enough practice to tell, but he didn’t really care. All he cared about was how amazing the admirer’s lips felt on his, how they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

His mysterious admirer pulled away after a while. “Will,” he whispered, and the brown-haired teen could feel another protest coming, so he did the only thing he could — he kissed him again. He had no idea how he’d gotten the courage to do that — maybe the part of his brain responsible for not making stupid decisions was still asleep — but he was glad he had. This time, his secret admirer finally relaxed and kissed him back. A smile formed on Will’s lips as he pulled the guy closer to him, and he could feel his admirer’s hesitation melt away. A hand was placed on his hip, and he could feel himself melting into the kiss. It was like second nature to him — he didn’t have to think, didn’t have to tell his lips or his tongue to do anything. They just did it like they’d been doing it since the beginning of time.

This time, however, Will was the one to pull away, since the kiss was getting heated. “Don’t wanna wake up,” he mumbled, and his admirer just nodded before pulling his head to the guy’s chest. It felt safe, it felt relaxing, and he found himself drifting off.

However, he didn’t fall asleep fast enough to not notice that he wasn’t the only one with a problem from their little makeout session.

 

~~** *** **~~

 

Will couldn’t stop smiling. He’d been wearing that goofy smile for more than an hour, and he was glad his mom wasn’t around, because she definitely would’ve asked questions if she’d heard him humming while making breakfast — everyone knew he wasn’t exactly a cheerful morning person.

He’d woken up just a little after 6am, and had spent fifteen minutes rolling around in bed grinning like an idiot thinking about the night he’d just had. He’d taken a shower, made and had breakfast, and gotten ready for school, all the while looking like Julie Andrews in  _ The Sound of Music _ . By now, he’d stopped worrying about whether or not he would scare his admirer off, since there weren’t too many things he could think of doing that he hadn’t done already, and the things he hadn’t, he wouldn’t until he was in a relationship with someone. And even if he hadn’t been sure that he wasn’t coming off too strong, he would’ve been after he’d read today’s note.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I have mentally prepared for a lot of things, but your sleepy self is something I will never be able to fend off. I once thought your pout to get Mike to the quarry was the most irresistible thing in the world, but now I know that was just the tip of the iceberg. I’m guessing there’s more where that came from, and I can’t wait to see what else you’re hiding if you give me a chance._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift is a little simpler than some of the others I’ve given you in the same category, but I hope that means it’ll get used more often._ **
> 
> **_Also, I want to remind you that I didn’t do this to win you over. You don’t have to agree to anything just because someone bought you presents. I just want you to be happy._ **
> 
> **_Although I could see that you were also enjoying that, so maybe I’m still not crossing any lines._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 18th of December. One more week to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Thinking about the admirer’s words made him all giddy again.

His admirer couldn’t wait to do more with him.

The guy had basically witnessed him in his unfiltered state and still wanted to be around. Not only that, but he also wanted to go further than just kissing. How could that thought  _ not _ leave him smiling like an idiot?

Today, his present was a drawing pen set. That was definitely smaller than the sketchbook or the color set he’d received last week — just the perfect size to bring to school and doodle distractedly on the back of his notebook in class. In fact, Will believed this was the first gift he was able to bring to school that he could neither wear nor eat since his phone case. He couldn’t wait for everyone to see it.

 

~~** *** **~~

 

“You know,” Mike whispered, “Dustin isn’t the only one wanting to know. He’s just the only one who can’t shut up about it. So if you wanna tell us, Lucas and I will be eternally grateful”.

History was Mike and Will’s shared period, and once again they were sharing hushed conversations at the back of the class — just another typical Tuesday.

“It was really nothing, Mike,” he whispered back, his face heating up a little.

“Your face sure blushes like it was nothing,” the paladin chuckled softly.

Will couldn’t really help it. All the confidence he’d had had been because of his half-asleep state. Normal Will hadn’t been able to come out to anyone without having an aneurysm, and normal Will definitely wouldn’t be able to tell his friends that he’d been making out with one of them every night without knowing who that was. Sure, ‘you are my best friend’ was good enough for him, but what would his other friends say? Would they think he wanted to kiss all of them? Would they think he’d try to kiss them? He  _ had _ kissed two of them. What would Mike think if he knew that? What if Mike was the secret admirer? If that was the case, he would’ve kissed all of his friends. What would the admirer think if,  _ when _ he found out that Will had kissed their straight friend, or friends, like that? Had Lucas and Dustin told Mike that he’d kissed them, or were they too ashamed to tell anyone? If Mike knew, was he on alert, waiting to see if Will would kiss him? The cleric knew he wanted to kiss his friend, so it would be impossible to assure the paladin by looking him in the eyes and telling him that he didn’t want to.

Mike’s hand waving in front of Will was what snapped him back to reality. “Hey,” the dungeon master said softly, “it’s alright if you don’t want to talk about it. You don’t have to”.

The brown-haired boy gulped and shook his head lightly. “No, it’s alright,” he tried for a smile, “we were cuddling”.  _ Friends don’t lie unless it’s by omission _ , he thought. They  _ had _ been cuddling at night. That just hadn’t been the only thing they’d done. He’d tell Mike and the others the rest  _ eventually _ .

“Wait, really?” Mike whisper-shouted. “You guys have been cuddling every night but you have no idea who that is?”

“You were the one who came to me with the theory that I won’t ruin his plan,” Will said with a scowl that would’ve been more convincing if he hadn’t been blushing.

“Yeah, but that was last week, when you said you were talking to him,” Mike said, rolling his eyes. “That was a long way from cuddling”. The paladin let out a soft chuckle. “So you’re saying you could be cuddling me every night and still have no idea about it?”

Will’s blush became more prominent as he looked away.  _ It can’t be you. It can’t be any of you. You’re straight, _ he wanted to say. Logically he knew that wasn’t true. One of them was announcing their  _ love _ for him, so one of them had to be bisexual. Nonetheless, there was still a sixty-seven percent chance of him guessing the wrong one, so he tried not to get his hopes up. “If it were you, wouldn’t it be better if you just told me now?” He asked.

“Not if I thought Lucas or Dustin would make you happier,” Mike shrugged. “I want you to be happy”.

The cleric’s cheeks turned beet red as he remembered the note his admirer had left him earlier.  _ ‘I just want you to be happy’ _ . His heart was thumping in his chest.  _ Was Mike quoting the admirer, or did he really mean it? Could the paladin— No _ , he really needed to stop these kinds of thoughts.

“But if it was you, that would mean they were straight,” the boy sighed, “so they wouldn’t be able to make this gay kid happier, would they?”

Mike just looked at him weirdly before shaking his head. “Let’s talk about this later”.

_ Let’s talk about this never _ , the shorter boy thought, but didn’t say out loud. This conversation was not good for his mentality.

 

~~** *** **~~

 

“Cuddling? Really?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t see how that’s a big deal,” Will said exasperatedly. “We cuddle all the time when watching movies”.

“Yeah, in a group,” Dustin said, rolling his eyes. “You two were doing it alone in your room at night. You, and whoever you are,” the curly-haired boy looked back and forth between Lucas and Mike, “could’ve done a lot of different things in that situation. All you guys need is one wandering hand”.

“Do you really want me to shut you up? Because you know I will,” Mike warned.

“What if  _ I  _ want you to shut him up?” Lucas asked.

Will regretted telling everyone about the cuddling almost instantly. He’d thought that since he’d told Mike, he might as well tell the others and get it over with. But of course, they just had to make that the main topic of their lunchtime conversation. That was just his luck.

They were at their usual spot in the cafeteria. Will was sitting between Lucas and Dustin, and Mike was sitting opposite of their blue-eyed friend.

“Can we just, I don’t know, maybe  _ not _ make it a big deal?” Will said, sending pleading eyes at the others, but mostly at Mike. If  _ anyone _ would take his side in this particular matter, it’d be the paladin. They shared a brief silent conversation before their Party leader nodded and turned to the others.

“So, what do you want to do after school today?” The raven-haired teen asked.

Dustin had a short nonverbal conversation with Mike before rolling his eyes and turning to their ranger. 

“Say, Lucas,” the curly-haired boy smirked and asked in a singsong voice, “ _ do you wanna build a snowman? _ ”

In Will’s opinion, the other boy had never looked more scandalized. “ _ I _ will shut you up for good if you start singing,” he warned. “Erica kept singing Let It Go for an entire year”.

“One more thing for you and Mike to bond over,” the bard grinned. “But the question still remains, do you guys wanna go out and have fun in the snow?”

The other two turned to Will, as if somehow he’d become the decision maker of the group. “I— Uh, it’d be nice, and I kinda want to take some winter photos as well”.

Mike nodded and grinned. “Then it’s settled. We’re building snowpeople in Will’s backyard after school”.

“I suppose Dustin’s ideas can be good once in a while,” Lucas shrugged.

“Hey!” The bard scowled. “I have tons of great ideas, thank you”.

The two began to bicker, with Will stuck between them. The cleric sent the most miserable look he could muster towards Mike, silently asking the paladin to save him. The guy just chuckled and shrugged unhelpfully.

 

~~** *** **~~

 

“Mike, switch with me,” Dustin whined for the umpteenth time.

“For the last time, go back to Lucas,” Mike groaned. “He needs you”.

The bard still didn’t give up. “But he wouldn’t let me—”

“And you think Will would?” Mike rolled his eyes.

“Of course!” The curly-haired boy shot Will a bright grin. “He’s the best person in the world”.

Will had decided that the best way to deal with situations like this one was just to ignore them and the blush that came with them. In movies, when someone was talked about in the third person, they would usually say something like ‘you know, I am right here’. However, in those situations, the ones being talked about didn’t get complimented. He couldn’t exactly follow those examples since it seemed like his friends never had anything bad to say about him.

They were building snowmen in pairs, with Dustin and Lucas working on one snowman, and Will and Mike building another. Since it had just started snowing recently, they needed to add water to the snow if they wanted to make a half decent snowman. However, Dustin was trying to take things a step further by convincing them to build something more intricate than a regular snowman — such as a snow statue. Lucas and Mike believed they didn’t have the skills to do that, but the bard was still being extremely optimistic about it. Will knew if they did it, they would end up with a deformed pile of snow, but he still hadn’t found a way to say no to Dustin’s cheerful and almost childish grin.

“Too bad, the best person in the world is making a snowman with me instead,” Mike said with an unimpressed look. “He will also want to take a photo of our result, so I don’t suppose you want to disappoint him?”

The curly-haired teen sent the taller boy a glare before turning back to Lucas.

“Would you cut it out already?” The ranger huffed. “What’s so bad about building a snowman?”

“Well, there’s nothing special about a snowman either,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “But if we build a Jason Momoa snow statue—”

“— we’ll end up with a pile of good-for-nothing snow,” Mike interrupted. “It’s not even cold enough to build something like that, and you of all people must know that”.

Dustin grumbled something incoherently, and Will took that as a sign of defeat. However, based on the fact that the bard was sulking, he’d say that his friend was evidently not very happy because of it.

Luckily, Will knew how to change that.

As he looked around, Will finally admitted to himself that this whole snowman idea would’ve been better if they’d waited until maybe after they’d returned from New York. The cleric decided to discard the part of the snowman he’d been working on to make something smaller.

Approximately fifteen seconds later, a snowball hit Dustin on his shoulder.

“What the—?” As the bard turned around, their eyes met, and Will could see the glee in those azure blue eyes, just before a smirk appeared on the curly-haired boy’s lips. “Oh, you’re dead, Byers”.

A snowball quickly flew towards him, and Will dove just in time to avoid it. Mike — being unaware of the shenanigans behind him as he continued working on his part of the snowman — wasn’t that lucky. It hit him right in the back of his head, and the raven-haired boy fell face-first into his creation. As the paladin got up and glared daggers at the direction of his attacker, Dustin’s grin was far from being apologetic. “Got something on your face, Mikey?”

“Oh, it’s on, Dusty,” Mike growled as he started making a snowball while chasing after Dustin, who had just run away. Will couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh at his two friends.

That was, until another snowball hit him right on the face, knocking him down.

“Lucas!” The shortest boy yelled out as he rolled over and started chasing after the fleeing ranger.

This was hardly something any of them had thought they would’ve done, but Will knew he would enjoy it just as much, if not even more than their original plan.

The snowmen could wait. But for now, he had a war to return to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how people say that comments feed writers? That's totally true. So please let me know what you think, and if I should improve or change something.
> 
> Until next time.


	20. Wednesday, December 19th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will.  
> Thank you for all the love you've given this fic, even when you still can't be sure if you ship the endgame. Hope this qualifies as a half-decent installment for you, and I certainly hope I still have the attention of enough readers after this.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Did you miss me?” The secret admirer whispered as he laid down next to Will.

The small cleric replied with a huff before wrapping his arms around the other boy’s torso. He didn’t want to say it, because he didn’t want to sound too clingy, but he had missed his admirer. He knew it was really stupid since he’d hung out with the admirer  _ and _ his two other best friends less than half a day ago, but he felt like they hadn’t met all week.

The admirer chuckled before moving a hand to Will’s forehead, the same way his mom did whenever he showed the slightest sign of catching a cold. He swatted the hand away gently with a frown on his face. “What are you doing?”

“The last time we went swimming in the quarry, it wasn’t that cold, but you still got sick,” his admirer said in a whisper, as if speaking any louder would’ve woken Will up. The brown-haired teen thought that was quite unnecessary, since if he could handle making out without completely waking up, then he could totally handle a slightly louder voice.

“I’m fine,” Will murmured softly. Other than feeling a little exhausted due to the unusual amount of exercise he’d had that afternoon, the teen felt perfectly healthy. Still, he thought it was really sweet of his admirer to be concerned about something as trivial as him catching a cold.

“Well, you can never be too careful,” his admirer whispered.

“Blanket, scarf, sweater, beanie, and now this,” Will chuckled, “you really don’t want me to catch a cold, do you?”

“You with a stuffy red nose  _ is _ a cute sight, but I prefer a healthy Will Byers,” the mysterious guy said before planting a kiss to the tip of his nose.

“Nobody looks cute being sick,” the cleric protested, although he could feel his cheeks heating up a little. He wondered whether his admirer would think he had a fever if this went on.

“Nobody but  _ you _ , you mean?” The admirer countered.

“Shut up,” Will said and punched the guy’s chest lightly. If he blushed any harder, he probably would start emitting red light.

“Make me”.

Will almost thought he’d misheard it, but he knew he hadn’t. He also knew what his secret admirer had meant by that, because he’d also been wanting to do it ever since the guy had lain down. With a smile that was somewhere between playful and happy, the smaller boy pulled his secret admirer in, connecting their lips.

Kissing his mysterious admirer had become second nature to him — something he could do with his eyes closed. Literally. The cleric let out a soft moan as their tongues met in what felt like a secret ritual that they’d been sharing since the dawn of man. He certainly hoped it was that perfect, since he knew he wanted to make his admirer feel the same thing his admirer was making him feel, and despite the familiarity,  _ perfect _ was the only adjective he could think of that would describe what he felt at the moment.

However, when their usual routine ended a while later, instead of pulling back, his admirer’s lips started wandering, and the guy started planting a trail of kisses down his jaw. Will was fairly certain that his heart had decided to do a lap around the globe, and had taken his brain with it, since there was no other explanation for the sound he’d made or the fact that he was tilting his head to give his secret admirer more access to pretty much anything and everything.

“Shit, Will,” the mysterious guy cursed under his breath. “We really should stop before I give you something to hide tomorrow”.

Will knew his admirer was right. He knew what would happen if he let the guy continue planting kisses down his neck. He knew that he’d have to hide whatever marks from everyone’s privy eyes at school.

He also knew he had a perfectly good scarf he’d wear either way.

The cleric found himself shaking his head lightly. His body acted on his own, and Will knew he was treading on dangerous ground as his head tilted back a little, exposing more of his neck for the secret admirer. Perhaps subconsciously, his plan was to make himself blush as hard as possible. Perhaps all along, the plan had been to draw all his blood to his face, and he didn’t know it until now. All he knew was what he’d thought, about not being able to blush harder, had been wrong. He was fairly certain that he was now glowing in the dark.

Will could feel his admirer’s hesitation as the guy’s lips hovered somewhere above his neck, so that he could still feel the admirer’s breath igniting a strange feeling in his guts. He finally won that wordless debate as he felt the mysterious guy’s lips on his skin again, and he almost let out a satisfied sigh. Almost. Since the guy’s lips had found a secret sensitive spot on his neck — so secret that he hadn’t even known about it until right that moment, the sound he let out was a tad less innocent than the sigh. His admirer chuckled before starting to nibble on that very spot that made his toes curl, and the brown-haired teen found himself digging his fingers into the mysterious guy’s back, trying to anchor himself to reality. It felt like nothing he’d ever felt before, and it would be a lie if he said he hadn’t already gotten addicted to it.

After what felt like a million years, but at the same time only a fraction of a second, his secret admirer pulled away, planting a soft kiss on that very spot, and another kiss on his cheek. “A little souvenir for you,” the guy whispered. “I’m afraid if I do anything else, you’ll wake up”.

Will knew his admirer was right. He knew that if they continued, he would definitely wake up and the guy would risk exposing his identity. He knew that no matter how much he wanted to know who his admirer was, he would never forgive himself if he ruined his friend’s plan.

So he reluctantly nodded and gave the guy a soft kiss before burying his face in the admirer’s chest.

“Soon, I promise,” his secret admirer said, and Will hummed in acknowledgment before drifting back to sleep.

 

~~** ** **~~

 

Will was being stupid and he knew it. That didn’t stop him from doing it though.

He’d been staring at the ceiling for the last fifteen minutes or so, absentmindedly rubbing his neck where his admirer had left a mark there. He hadn’t  _ seen _ it yet, but he’d like to think he had been conscious enough to know which side it was on.

If someone had told him a month ago that he would even  _ have _ someone to make out with before moving out of Hawkins, he would’ve laughed in their face. But there he was, lying in bed and thinking of what to tell his friends if they somehow spotted the hickey on his neck.

Last night had been out of this world, but as he grew more and more awake, the full force of his action hit him harder and harder. He’d let his admirer leave a mark on his neck. What would his other friends think about that? What had the admirer thought about him willing to let that happen? Would the guy expect that to happen again? He knew that would happen if he got in a relationship eventually, but the cleric wasn’t sure if he was ready to have a rerun anytime soon. He didn’t even know what had gotten into him the first time. Sure, the brown-haired boy had liked that, but it wasn’t like him to act like that at all.

He knew eventually he’d need to get back to reality and face other stuff as well, such as the huge present that looked like a box of A4 paper, too big to be on his nightstand, and therefore had been put on his chair instead. The young Byers boy reluctantly turned and looked at the aforementioned object. Closer inspection showed that it was, in fact, a box that matched the description, with the wrapping paper glued to it.  _ So much for keeping the wrapping paper _ , Will thought, scrunching his nose. He wondered how his admirer had managed to bring something  _ that _ big over, whether his John Doe had had to drive to his or if the guy had somehow balanced the box with one hand while riding a bike in the snow. Now that he thought of it, he’d never asked himself how his secret admirer had gotten to his house at night.

Despite his daily gift being enormous enough to attract the attention of anyone walking into his room, Will still reached for the small note on top of it first. Today, more than usual, he wanted to know what his admirer had to say.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You are the sweetest person I’ve ever known. You care so much about everyone around you, and you won’t hesitate to go out of your way to make sure your loved ones have the best day possible. I would love to do the same for you._ **
> 
> **_Last night (twenty minutes ago when I started writing this note) was unexpected, to say the least. I am so sorry for that, and I promise you I won’t ever,_ ** **_ever_ ** **_let it happen ever again._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift isn’t exactly the best one ever, but I can’t say I could’ve done a better job either. Still, I hope it’s gonna be good enough, or at least not too bad. I also hope that nothing has gone wrong, but to be safe, don’t move or pick up the box until after you’ve opened the present._ **
> 
> **_Have a great 19th of December, Will. Christmas is just around the corner._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

For the first time ever, Will felt bad after reading the secret admirer’s note.

The guy was blaming himself for what had happened when Will had been the one to initiate literally everything. Sure, he’d been half-asleep, but he knew he’d wanted that just as much as his admirer. He knew he still wanted that — he was just not ready for that. At most, the guy had been an accomplice in sleepy Will’s plan. Unfortunately, Will had no way to tell the mysterious guy that — not until the next night.  _ Well, on the bright side,  _ he thought,  _ I’m not expected to go there again _ .

He also had no idea what today’s present was, other than it being something handmade. Since he was told not to move the box, whatever inside was probably fragile. And because he couldn’t pick it up to guess its content — not that he thought he had the ability to guess what a handmade item was by their weight, the next logical thing his brain could come up with other than just removing the lid and looking inside was to lean in and actually  _ sniff _ it out.

Turned out, that had been the wiser decision, since the moment he caught a whiff of  _ it _ , the cleric immediately knew what he should be expecting. Not something handmade, but rather something  _ homemade _ . As he opened the present, the smell of ginger biscuit grew stronger. The inside of the box was covered in aluminum foil, undoubtedly to further protect the content.

It was a gingerbread house.

Will was lucky there was no one around, since his mouth wouldn’t be able to form a single coherent word to thank his admirer for that. Obviously, this wasn’t the first gingerbread house he’d ever seen — the Byers had a lot of Christmas traditions, but he didn’t have any plans to make one this year, with his mom in California and him going to New York in a couple of days. Apparently, that hadn’t been a good enough excuse to not have one in his secret admirer’s book. As the cleric carefully removed the house from the box, he got to admire it a little better. The house was rather small, about five inches tall, with a chimney on top. The roof was covered in white icing and gummy bears, and along the edges were what he’d originally thought to be m&m’s, but upon closer inspection, realized that they were both m&m’s and skittles. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the cutest  _ and _ evilest thing he’d ever seen. The craftsmanship wasn’t the best, but that made him love it even more. His admirer had spent time and effort making him this snack, possibly after they’d gone home after the snowball fight, or even from the day before. He’d always loved everything his mysterious admirer had given him, but handmade gifts like this one would always have a special place in his heart.

 

~~** ** **~~

 

“So, is Wednesday a snack day or something?” Dustin asked in a hushed voice.

“What do you mean?” Will whispered back.

They were in their second period together. With the Party consisting of six members, it was almost impossible for them all to share all classes together, especially when Jane was a year behind the rest of the group, but Chemistry was the single class Will could be with all his friends. Or at least he would’ve been if the two girls hadn’t had an early Christmas.

“Well, he’s been giving you something to eat  _ every _ Wednesday, so I’m just assuming”. The curly-haired teen finished the sentence with a shrug.

As Will thought back to his previous presents, he realized Dustin had been right. The first Wednesday, Will had found a package in his locker containing all sort of sweets. The second Wednesday, a jar of buttered popcorn Jelly Belly had sat on his bedside table waiting for him to wake up. This was the third  _ and _ the last Wednesday before Christmas, and a gingerbread house was waiting for him at home.

“Leave it to Dustin to see the food pattern,” Mike chuckled softly.

“Hey!” Dustin scowled. “What was that supposed to mean?”

“You know what he meant,” Lucas rolled his eyes, “you’re  _ extremely _ observant when it comes to food”.

“Excuse you!” Dustin huffed. “Are you saying I’m  _ not _ observant normally?”

“Do you have something you want to share with the class, Mr. Henderson?” Mr. Kaminsky asked, glaring daggers at the four teens.

Will averted his eyes and tried to look like he’d been comparing his answers to the ones on the board. Being among the smarter students in school, they could get away with not paying attention in class once in a while. However, Will figured they shouldn’t risk it, since Mike and Dustin  _ had _ received detention two days ago.

“Anyway,” Dustin whispered a while later, when their teacher finally stopped keeping an eye, or ear, on them, “how big is that house?”

“It’s made for Will,” Lucas said quietly, “so I don’t think it’s gonna be very big. Definitely not big enough for you”.

“If you have something to say, say it to my face, Lucas,” the bard glared.

“Well, you might just inhale the snack, and none of us want that,” the ranger gave an unamused shrug.

“Fine,” Dustin whisper-shouted, “I’m not gonna touch Will’s gingerbread house. Happy?”

“Guys,” Mike sighed, “don’t do this  _ now _ ”.

“I mean, I’d love to share with—”

“No, Will,” Dustin shook his head, “I’m gonna prove to Lucas that I can do it”.

“Well, I’d love to see you try,” Lucas smirked.

Mike shook his head and sighed. “So, do any of you guys have any plans after school?”

“You mean after AV club?” Dustin asked. “I don’t, and I don’t think the rest of us do either”.

Will knew Mike was asking for Lucas. Today, the ranger’s parents had allowed him to give them all a ride to school, since it was getting a little too cold for biking, and the fact that it had been snowing nonstop hadn’t helped any of the boys either.

Lucas leaned in. “Actually, I was thinking—”

“That’s a first,” Dustin snickered.

“Bite me,” the ranger scowled. “I was thinking, maybe we could skip AV today. My parents said there might be a storm coming, so I think the sooner we get home, the better”.

“Fine by me,” their Party leader shrugged nonchalantly. “What do you guys want to do at Will’s then?”

“Star Wars,” Dustin replied almost immediately. “Haven’t watched them in ages”.

“You guys just watched them the day Will got sick,” Lucas frowned.

“The original trilogy,” the bard grinned, “so we can watch the prequel today”.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Will smiled softly, “anything is fine as long as I do it with you guys”.

The other three returned his smile with their own.

“Your secret admirer is right,” Lucas chuckled, “you  _ are _ the sweetest person we’ve ever known”.

“You four, the next four questions!” Mr. Kaminsky’s booming voice almost made Will’s heart jump out of his chest.

 

~~** ** **~~

 

“Sure you don’t want some, Dusty?” Lucas taunted for the fifth time.

“Say it again and I  _ will _ castrate you,” Dustin snarled. “That’s gonna be very unfortunate for Will if you happen to be his admirer”.

Will’s face turned beet red once again, which, in his opinion, was absurd, since he wasn’t even in the same room as the other boys. Furthermore, Dustin always said things like that. There was absolutely no reason for him not to get used to it by now. Yet, somehow, he still blushed every single time.

They’d just gotten back to his house ten minutes ago, and the boys had been admiring the gingerbread house, while Will had been in his room, putting off taking his scarf off. He knew he’d have to do it eventually, so he should just get it over with. The cleric took a deep breath and put his scarf in his room, before returning to the kitchen and being as inconspicuous as possible. The hickey was on the right side of his neck, so he made sure to turn his left at his friends as much as possible. If he was lucky, his friends wouldn’t connect the mark on his neck with his secret admirer’s words about not doing it again, but he wouldn’t hold his breath.

“— principle, so I’m not gonna touch that in  _ any _ circumstances,” Dustin huffed.

“Not even if Will tells you to?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“I know Will, and he won’t ask me to break my principle just because you ask him to,” the curly-haired teen rolled his eyes before turning to the shorter boy, “right, Will?”

Lucky for him, before he got too much attention on him, Lucas retorted. “Since when did you have principle?”

“Since you made fun of me this morning, asshole,” the bard stuck his tongue out at the ranger.

“Whatever, more for the rest of us, then,” the taller teen rolled his eyes.

_ Un _ lucky for Will, being too focused on his two friends’ conversation, the boy failed to notice the paladin’s attention on him until he felt warm fingers on his neck — the exact spot where  _ the mark _ should be.

“What’s this, Will?” Mike asked, his brows furrowed.

Will had practiced answering that question the whole day, so there was no hesitation in his voice. “Oh, that? Just a bruise,” he flashed the paladin a smile.  _ Technically _ that was true. “I guess I got hit harder than I thought yesterday”. That was also true. Being the shortest boy in the group meant that he would be the most difficult target to hit. Unfortunately, that also meant there wasn’t a lot of places for the snowballs to hit if the others managed to land one.

“A bruise?” Their dungeon master asked again, still unconvinced.

“What else could it be?” The cleric asked, looking into his friend’s eyes.

It was apparent that Mike had an answer for that. It was also apparent that the raven-haired teen wouldn’t say it.

“Will!” Dustin slung his arms over Will’s and Mike’s shoulders, breaking the silent conversation they were having. The shortest boy looked around the kitchen, only to notice that Lucas had brought the gingerbread house to the living room — which was where the bard was dragging them. “Which one of us do you think is the secret admirer?”

“Yeah, you’ve been getting, what, nineteen gifts?” Lucas asked. “You must have a theory”.

Will’s blush returned. Unlike the previous conversation, he hadn’t prepared for this one, and he didn’t think he would ever be ready to answer it.

“I— Uh, I try not to,” he said nervously. “I don’t want you guys to be weird out if I have the wrong theory. You’re straight, after all”.

The cleric could see Lucas shooting his other two friends a look, and as he turned to the two, there was no doubt they were having another silent conversation. “What?” He frowned.

“Uh,” Mike cleared his throat and looked at the other two, who both nodded at him, “you see, none of us are actually straight”.

If he hadn’t been looking at Mike and seeing the boy’s lips move, he wouldn’t have believed what he’d just heard. In fact, he still wasn’t sure if he’d heard it correctly, despite seeing Mike’s lips moving.

“W-What?” He stuttered.

“I’m pretty sure we all swing both ways,” Lucas said. “All but you, obviously”.

Will had no idea how to process the information he’d been given. For years, he’d told himself his friends were all straight, that there would be no way for him to be with them. Then he’d learned that  _ one _ of them was interested in him, even though none of them could’ve been that person. Now he’d just found out that  _ all _ of them were—

“So, you’re all bisexual?” He asked.

“Seems like it,” Dustin grinned. “Man, you’re slow, Byers”.

“And you all just decided to tell everyone  _ but me _ ?”

At this, all of them decided to look away.

“Well, no,” Mike cleared his throat, “I mean, we didn’t exactly tell anyone. We just kinda know”.

“You… just know?”

“Well, Lucas’ crush on Mike back in seventh grade was pretty obvious to me,” Dustin shrugged.

“Dustin!” Lucas raised his voice.

“Wait, what?” Will’s eyes widened.

“Wait,  _ what _ ?” Mike whipped his head around so fast, it was amazing how the paladin didn’t get whiplash.

“You didn’t know?” Dustin looked at Mike incredulously. “I  _ told _ you he was jealous when you showed interest in Jane”.

“Dustin Henderson!”

“Well,  _ you _ kept talking about how he was my best friend, so I thought you meant like that”. Mike was definitely blushing.

“Can we change the subject, please?” Lucas groaned. “It was five years ago”.

“Well, it was still news for these two,” Dustin smirked before turning to Will. “Yeah, we kinda just know, just like we kinda just know you’re gay”.

“But— I mean, I didn’t know,” Will said dumbly. He felt like he’d been left out of something huge, and he didn’t like it.

“I have to say, for someone with such wonderful observation skills, you’re really oblivious,” Dustin chuckled. “But enough of this, we’re having a movie marathon next”.

As they all sat down, it was apparent that, other than Dustin, everyone else was still shocked at everything that had been revealed.

How the hell could Will concentrate on the movie with this new knowledge?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please know that a simple "Love it" from you is enough to make my day and motivate me to write faster (and although you're free to say "Hate it", I would love it if you could tell me how I could make you like this more).
> 
> I would love to explore the points of view of Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, but it's not how this fic works, so I really can't tell you what's going on in anyone's head other than Will's. Perhaps you'll see in the epilogue, or (if I have enough in me) the sequel.
> 
> See you again next week!


	21. Thursday, December 20th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone and welcome back to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> I am terribly sorry for this extra long chapter (literally twice as long as usual). I'll try not to let this be a common occurrence.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy! Or try to :)

Will woke up at 5.30 in the morning on the living room floor.

Neither part of that statement was normal, but neither of them was the bizarre thing in his book.

He’d been woken up because of the snowstorm outside. Sometime during their third movie the previous evening, the storm had arrived in Hawkins. Because of it, school would probably be canceled today, although, in Will’s opinion, this was far from being the worst storm he’d ever seen in his life. Hell, this wasn’t even one of the bad ones, although no one would’ve thought that if they had witnessed Joyce’s reaction when she’d called to check up on him the night before. He firmly believed that if Max hadn’t pointed out that by the time she got back to Hawkins, the storm would’ve passed already, then there had been no force on this earth, including Jane’s power, that could’ve talked his mom out of booking the next flight home. Although, as she reluctantly admitted defeat, his mom still insisted that someone stayed over to look after him.

And that had been why he’d woken up on the living room floor.  _ All his friends _ had volunteered to stay over. With the Wheelers and Dustin’s mom out of town, it made sense for them to stay together in this kind of situation. Lucas’ mom was also extremely understanding when he’d called home and asked to spend the night here. As a result, they’d had an impromptu sleepover on a Wednesday night in his living room, surrounded by all the pillows and blankets they could possibly find, since none of the boys had left their sleeping bag at his place, and it would’ve been weird to send his friends to his mom’s room or Jonathan’s old room to sleep. Therefore, after raiding his brother’s wardrobe to find something for his friends to change into, and making up several more lies about the hickey on his neck being ‘just a bruise from the snowball fight’, they had spread and gathered stuff to make the most comfortable heap in town. Will had even donated his Christmas blanket to the cause — a rather tough decision considering how he and his admirer had been the only two using said blanket up to that point. Dustin had been the one to doze off the moment his body had touched the pile of pillows and blankets, and Mike and Lucas had laid down on either side of the curly-haired teen. Will had taken the rightmost spot, next to Mike, before drifting off to sleep himself.

Which led to the bizarre thing he’d noticed almost immediately after waking up. On his left, with an arm around his waist, wasn’t Mike, but Lucas instead. The paladin was on Will’s right, being spooned by the cleric while hugging the bard closer to him. The brown-haired teen couldn’t imagine what had occurred during the night that could’ve made him and Dustin switch places with each other. All the explanations he’d come up with involved at least two people rolling over someone, and he doubted that could’ve happened without any incidents.

Of course, his fixation with what had happened was only his brain’s way to deal with what  _ hadn’t _ happened the previous night — his secret admirer. Sure, technically they had spent the night together, but Will had hoped to have a conversation, or whatever it was called if he was in his drowsy state, with the admirer about the self-blaming. He didn’t need his friends to adopt that trait — one person per friend group should’ve been enough. Also, the fact that all his boys had spent the night meant that there were no presents today. He had faith that the admirer would definitely bring him whatever the guy had planned to as soon as possible, but he’d already gotten used to waking up to a gift and a note, and the lack thereof had definitely put a damper on his morning mood. Luckily, cuddling Mike and Lucas helped tremendously.

By 6.15, Will decided that he should get up and make breakfast for everyone. However, deciding to get up and actually getting up were two very different tasks, especially if he didn’t want to wake any of his friends up. It certainly didn’t help that he didn’t want to leave his current position either. The cleric gently lifted the arm Lucas had put on his hip and moved it to Mike’s, before slowly shimmying out of the ranger’s embrace. It took him approximately five minutes to break free, since he didn’t want to make any sudden movements, but as he finally stood up and looked at the cuddle pile he’d just been in, he knew it was totally worth it. The three boys were sleeping peacefully, with Mike now slightly leaning back against Lucas, and Dustin drooling on their dungeon master’s chest. The whole scene looked utterly  _ angelic _ , and Will had to fight the sudden urge to just kneel down and kiss each of their foreheads. The brown-haired teen let out a soft chuckle before deciding that he needed this moment in his photo album, and headed to his room to retrieve his camera.

Will’s camera, as well as his photo album, had been two of the most important things he’d received from the secret admirer. As convenient as it was to take pictures with his phone, to him, it was more captivating to write tiny captions under the photos that he took or to decorate the pages of his album based on the theme of the content. Not only did he get to capture the moments of his life, but he also got to present them in a way that best described him and his friends. The cleric loved to sit down at night, flip through his album, and look at all the fun he and his friends had had. That was especially helpful whenever the memories of his trauma came back to haunt him. It was easier when he had something to remind him of the day they went to the waterpark, or the day they spent having a Harry Potter movie marathon, or—

_ Or the days I spent with Lucas and with Dustin _ , his brain provided.

Will’s cheeks flushed red at the thought. While he’d put all the pictures he’d taken on his day with Lucas in the album, there was  _ one _ photo from the day he’d had with Dustin that was still hidden away. If his friends looked at his album, nobody would notice anything out of the ordinary. However, he  _ had _ saved a spot for that picture. He just didn’t dare to put it in yet. The photo of their kiss.

He’d kissed Dustin. He’d also kissed Lucas. He’d kissed both of them on their respective day with him. He had no idea if the fact that they both were bi made everything worse or less bad.  _ Just because they’re interested in guys doesn’t mean they’re interested in you _ , he chided himself. Dustin had said that Lucas had had a crush on Mike in seventh grade. That hadn’t been too much of a surprise, if Will was being honest with himself. It was Mike, after all. It would’ve been impossible to not have a crush on someone so handsome, smart, and caring. Mike was  _ Mr. Perfect _ , someone on a totally different level than him.

Too lost in thought, Will didn’t see  _ it _ when he went to his room for the camera, nor did he notice it on his way back to the living room. However, as he returned to put away said camera and the newly taken photo, his heart almost jumped out of his chest as his eyes landed on the familiar spot on his nightstand, where another gift in red wrapping was standing next to a cream-colored note. The brown-haired teen firmly believed he didn’t know a single word to describe how surprised he was upon seeing that present, and he doubted such word existed in the first place. Somehow, his secret admirer had still managed to get him a present, despite having spent the night with him and the other two. The hazel-eyed boy immediately dashed to his bedside table and picked up the note. More than ever, he wanted to know what his admirer had written. A thousand questions ran through his mind, but the one appeared the most only had a single word —  _ How? _

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I bet you didn’t expect to see this here. I bet you’d thought I couldn’t possibly have brought you this gift. Well, if that was the case, I’m glad I just proved you wrong. There’s no way to stop me from making the best person in the world smile._ **
> 
> **_I hope you liked the gingerbread house. Based on the look of it, I guess you knew I didn’t receive any help, otherwise it wouldn’t have been that disastrous. Still, you looked quite happy eating it, so I guess it tasted better than it looked._ **
> 
> **_I hope today’s present will add a little something to your room. It’s a decoration, I suppose, so you can decorate your desk, your nightstand,_ ** **~~_your windowsill,_ ~~** **_or pretty much anything you want. I hope that’s good enough as a hint for you._ **
> 
> **_Second thought, don’t decorate your windowsill. I might ruin it trying to get into your room._ **
> 
> **_I want to say “See you later”, but maybe I’ll already be next to you when you read this._ **
> 
> **_Anyway, have a great December 20th. Five days to go!_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

As usual, his cheeks heated up as soon as he read the note.

His admirer had called him  _ ‘the best person in the world’ _ , even though Will wasn’t the one who’d gone through god-knows-how-much trouble to make someone happy. It was pretty obvious to him that the admirer had been thinking too highly of the cleric, and would be disappointed pretty quickly as soon as the bubble burst. The boy just hoped that his admirer would still want to be with him after that.

The gingerbread house was amazing, and he didn’t care what anyone said, it was the cutest house he’d ever seen. Despite having collapsed almost immediately after Dustin had curiously poked at it, everything still tasted amazing. In fact, Will had been quite surprised to not see the bard giving in, but they all knew the boy would’ve loved to be right as well, so nobody had pushed too hard.

As his attention turned back to the present of the day, the cleric’s mind ran through all the things he could think about that fit the category ‘decorations’, trying to guess the content of the mysterious package. Whatever that was inside didn’t have a fixed form, although the base looked roundish, and it had the height of a water bottle. Unlike most of his gifts, this one wasn’t wrapped using tape. A ribbon was tied nicely on top of the package, and that was the only thing standing between him and the content. As his fingers undid the ribbon knot, his brain finally provided him with something that fit the description.

A potted plant.

Will recognized the plant. He believed it was called a money plant, and if he remembered correctly, they were supposed to bring good luck. The plant itself wasn’t too difficult to take care of, but he supposed he’d need to ask someone to look after it when they went to New York. His admirer had definitely thought about that before their plan. Nonetheless, he loved the new addition to his room — something to add more ‘life’ to his personal space. He’d never thought of getting a plant for his room, but two minutes after getting one, he couldn’t imagine  _ not _ having one.

His admirer had once again proven that the guy knew him even better than he knew himself.

 

~~** * **~~

 

Will didn’t even know Mike had woken up until Lucas appeared at the doorway and offered to help him make breakfast. Apparently, the drooling bard had proven to be quite a challenge — one the ranger had refused to help their paladin get out of. The hazel-eyed boy wondered whether Lucas just didn’t want to risk waking the curly-haired teen up, or if the black boy also secretly took pleasure in making their dungeon master suffer. And since two people were more than enough to get everything done in the kitchen, the cleric figured they could let their Party leader rest some more.

“So, even though we all slept next to each other like sardines, your secret admirer still managed to give you something,” Lucas hummed. “I must say, that was very impressive”.

Half an hour had passed since the black boy had shown up, and things were looking great in Chef Byers’ kitchen. They’d almost finished making pancakes for everyone, and he believed that if Dustin hadn’t woken up already, Mike would know to wake the bard up soon enough. School  _ was _ canceled, after all, so they weren’t in any rush.

“You got that right,” Will chuckled. “I didn’t even think I’d get one today”.

“So, what are you gonna do with the plant when we leave for New York?” Lucas asked. “Because I think my parents can take care of it if you want to”.

Lucas was a lifesaver to Will for offering that. Since he only had five friends, and none of them would be in Hawkins after Sunday, there was literally no one for him to ask to take care of his new gift. He would’ve ended up bringing the plant to New York if his friend hadn’t suggested that.

“Yeah, that would be great,” Will smiled and gave the taller boy a quick hug, “thanks, Lucas”.

“It’s nothing,” Lucas chuckled as he returned the brief embrace. However, as they pulled away, the ranger’s hand moved to Will’s neck, and the shorter boy didn’t have to look — although he couldn’t have looked anyway — to know that his friend’s thumb was on his hickey. “You sure this was from a snowball?” The black boy asked in a soft voice.

Will’s cheeks instantly heated up at the question, and he was sure the other boy could feel his pulse beating erratically. He looked up into Lucas’ dark orbs, and immediately regretted his action, since he knew it was impossible to lie to his friend now. The ranger’s eyes were warm and gentle, and that gave Will the strange feeling that he wouldn’t be judged if he told the truth. However, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that yet.

“W-What else could it be?” The cleric asked with a shaky voice.  _ Again, not a lie _ .

“What could  _ what _ be?” Dustin’s sleepy voice from the doorway snapped Will away from Lucas’ eyes and back to reality. The shortest boy immediately pulled away from Lucas — perhaps a little too quickly — and turned to his other friend.

“Oh, hey Dustin!” The cleric greeted, a little too cheerful for this time in the morning. “You’re finally up. Where’s Mike?”

“Changing his shirt,” the bard said with a loud yawn. “I didn’t even drool that much”.

“You still drooled,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “I would’ve drowned if you had been next to me”.

“Oh, right,” Will exclaimed, “how did that happen, by the way? Because last night, you were sleeping between Lucas and Mike”.

“Bathroom break,” the curly-haired teen shrugged. “When I went to the bathroom last night, Mike was already using it so I had to wait a little. I’m guessing you rolled over when we were both gone, because when I came back, you were already cozy and comfy between them”.

Will’s face, which had  _ just _ managed to go back to its normal color, turned crimson again. Before the secret admirer, he hadn’t even moved too much in his sleep. But now, apparently, he was subconsciously searching for a source of body heat in the middle of the night.

“Morning,” Mike said as he virtually appeared out of thin air, which both made Will’s heart jump out of his chest, and saved him from having to reply to Dustin, “what’s our plan for today?”

“I might have something in mind,” Dustin grinned mischievously as he took a plate and sat down.

Will didn’t know what the curly-haired teen’s plan was, but his personal plan was to not blush to death before the end of the day.

He was pretty sure he’d fail that, though.

 

~~** * **~~

 

“Lucas, which is it?” Dustin asked.

“Dare,” the ranger answered confidently.

Turned out, his friend’s brilliant idea had been another game of Truth or Dare. This was different from their usual version, though, since not every Party member was present. Their point system wouldn’t be used today, but they couldn’t skip anything. Dustin had called it  _ the boring version _ , since  _ ‘everyone uses this rule, and they even include stripping’ _ . Nonetheless, Will figured the bard probably wanted to know something if he’d suggested this game, so his guard was still up.

“I dare you to drink two bottles of water in ten seconds,” the blue-eyed teen grinned. Lucas huffed and stood up to fetch himself the water bottles.

“Why do you want to play this game?” Mike asked once Lucas had downed both bottles.

“I have an idea,” the curly-haired teen smirked, “why don’t you ask me that next time I choose truth?”

“You’re impossible,” Lucas groaned. “Will, truth or dare?”

“I— Truth,” the cleric gulped. He’d picked dare the last time, and he didn’t want to be forced to choose anything next time, in case he was the target of this game.

The ranger thought for a moment before making eye contact with him. “Who do you think the secret admirer is?”

As soon as he heard the question, he wished he’d gone for another dare instead. “I— Uh,” his face was heating up again as he contemplated the question. “I don’t know,” the cleric mumbled. “I never actually thought about this before, since I didn’t know you guys were even interested in boys”. His hands started playing with the hem of his shirt. “If you want me to give you a name right now, I might as well say someone’s name at random”.

The ranger’s eyes were still on his even after he finished talking. The other boy considered the answer for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough,” he shrugged. “Your turn”.

Will obviously couldn’t choose Lucas, since there was this unspoken rule that you couldn’t pick the one who had just picked you. That meant he only had two options to consider, and strategically, he would like to not be targeted by one of them. “Dustin,” the boy said, turning to his friend, “truth or dare?”

“Truth, since I have nothing to hide,” the bard shrugged.

_ Nothing to hide _ , Will thought,  _ that would’ve been great _ . It felt like he always had something to hide, be it the monster that had possessed him, or the traumatic flashbacks he’d had, or his sexual orientation, or his giant crush on all—

_ Wait _ .

“When was the first time you realized you had a crush on a boy and what happened?” The cleric asked, surprising himself and everyone else.

“I— What?” The bard definitely hadn’t expected anything  _ this _ personal.

“You heard the man,” Lucas snickered.

“Just that I— Well,” Will tried to clarify, “I’d never been able to talk about this stuff with anyone. I didn’t think there was anyone like me in Hawkins”.

The blue-eyed teen held his gaze for a moment before sighing in defeat. “It was in eighth grade,” he mumbled, his eyes downcast. “I had a crush on this girl, and there was this guy who also felt the same thing”.

Will knew this story. They all did. Dustin and Lucas had both had a crush on Max. Max had chosen Lucas. Dustin had been devastated. He didn’t understand how this had anything to do with his question, though.

“Anyway, all hell broke loose, my cat died, and I couldn’t reach any of you,” the bard continued. “Then the girl I had a crush on showed up with the guy who also had a crush on her, and I felt so  _ betrayed _ ”. Dustin was picking on an invisible loose thread on his pants now. “But I didn’t feel betrayed because she’d chosen to hang out with him instead of me. I felt betrayed because  _ he _ had hung out with her instead of me, when I needed him”.

Will’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Lucas. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Mike was doing the same thing. Their ranger’s eyes, however, were trained on their curly-haired friend, who was still adamant on staring a hole through the floor.

“Then, more hell broke loose, and we almost died in the bus at the junkyard, and as I was scared shitless, I looked around and they were holding hands”. Dustin chuckled dryly and shook his head. “And I hated her so much, I basically called her a stranger, even though I’d been trying to include her in our Party”. The boy lifted his head and made eye contact with Mike. “I literally did exactly what he’d done back when you’d had a crush on Jane”.

Will felt horrible for asking Dustin that question. If he had known, he would’ve never made his friend talk about that. “Dustin, I’m so s—”

“It’s alright,” the bard shook his head and shot Will a grin. “That was way back in eighth grade. Basically ancient history. Right, Lucas?”

“Y-Yeah, right,” the ranger bit his lips and nodded. “So, I was your first guy crush?”

“Don’t get too full of yourself,” Dustin snorted. “Will asked about the first time I realized I had a crush on a boy. If I had a crush on someone but because of heteronormativity, wrote it off as a bro feeling, then I don’t need to talk about it. Anyway, truth or dare?”

“Again?” Lucas frowned. “You literally just chose me”.

“Well, I can’t choose Will,” Dustin shrugged, “so it’s either you or Mike”.

“Fine, truth,” Lucas grumbled.

“Let’s talk about your crush on Mike, then,” the bard said in a mischievous tone. “When did you realize you had a crush on him?”

The ranger groaned and facepalmed himself. “The day after we found Jane,” he said reluctantly. “Got jealous when I learned that Mike had skipped school because of her. That was when I knew I had a crush on him”.

It was Mike’s turn to look away. Dustin, however, only grinned wider. “So your solution was to tease Mike about Jane while simultaneously trying to exclude her from our Party?”

“I was twelve,” Lucas huffed. “ _ We _ were twelve. We weren’t that smart, you know”.

“I knew you had a crush on him,” Dustin protested. “I  _ was _ that smart”.

“Oh, yeah?” The ranger rolled his eyes. “What was your reaction to Max, again?”

At that, the bard narrowed his eyes at his friend, but said nothing.

“Anyway, Mike,” Lucas turned to the paladin, “truth or dare?”

That was a trick question. They all knew Mike had chosen dare the last two times, so he had no other choice but to pick truth.

For a very brief moment, Will thought he’d spotted Mike’s eyes darting toward him with an expression he couldn’t read.

_ What the hell was that? _

“Truth, obviously,” Mike said without looking at anyone.

Since this was a theme that had been going on, Will had assumed that Lucas’ question would be something similar to the last two questions, and that Mike would start talking about some guy he’d had a crush on with qualities Will could never achieve in a million years. That was why Lucas’ question had caught him by surprise. “I want to know about the reason you and Jane broke up”.

Apparently, Mike was also a little taken aback by this one. Dustin, however, sat straight up as if he was getting ready for the most interesting story ever.

“There was nothing to tell, really,” Mike shrugged. “We weren’t very compatible”.

“But you guys always spent time together,” Dustin said. “We even called you two ‘the golden couple’ behind your back”.

“Well, it wasn’t like that,” Mike shook his head and smiled sadly. “We always spent time together after she got back was because we were trying to learn more about each other”. The paladin let out a sigh. “Lucas, you weren’t wrong back then. I had a crush on Jane because she was the first girl who’d ever shown interest in me. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. It was also because she had superpowers and helped us save Will. Jane liked me because I was the first person who fed her and didn’t want to run tests on her. That and because I called her ‘pretty’”.

Will was unusually interested in this topic. He guessed it was because he’d never asked Mike why he’d liked Jane before.

“Anyway, when she got back, it didn’t take long for us to realize that we didn’t have a single thing in common,” Mike shrugged. “I didn’t know anything about her other than the fact that she has powers and likes eggos, and she didn’t know anything about the things I was interested in. So we had to learn stuff about each other. The more we learned about each other, the more we realized how fast we’d rushed into the relationship we were in”. Now that Mike had mentioned it, Will realized that before meeting Jane, he hadn’t known a single thing about the girl everyone had called  _ Eleven _ , other than the fact that she had powers and had saved everyone. “We tried really hard to make things work, but in the end, we realized that love shouldn’t be that hard. We  _ do _ love each other, but not like that anymore. I don’t think it’s ever been like that”.

Will hadn’t noticed how hard Mike and Jane had been working to try to make their relationship work, and based on the reaction he’d seen, none of them had. They had all seen the product, but none of them had noticed the effort it had taken the two to produce said product. He supposed he wasn’t a very good best friend, after all.

“I am so sorry, Mike,” the cleric whispered, “if I’d known—”

“But that was the point,” Mike shook his head, “we didn’t  _ want _ you guys to know. We didn’t want you to worry about us. And we are both happier now”.

Lucas gave Mike a pat on the back, and Dustin made a comment about how Jane and Max were the real ‘golden couple’ all along. Will didn’t know what to say so he just gave Mike an encouraging smile.

That had completely backfired when Mike turned to him and grinned. “So, Will, what’s it gonna be?”

The brown-haired teen was well aware that as long as they still talked about relationship related stuff, he was still in extremely dangerous territory. Sure, Lucas and Dustin had talked about their crushes from middle school, but his middle school crushes were still with him to this day, and he had no intention of telling his friends that now. “Dare,” he said without hesitation.

“Mike, you better think of an interesting dare,” Dustin said.

“We haven’t had a good dare since your first and last kiss,” the ranger smirked.

“And who said that was my last kiss?” The bard huffed.

“So that really  _ was _ your first kiss,” Lucas exclaimed triumphantly.

“Wait, that wasn’t your last kiss?” Mike raised an eyebrow.

Will had been friends with all of them for years. He knew them better than anyone else. He knew Dustin was the type to talk like that to make people think he was more experienced than he actually was.

So he had no idea why he’d made that embarrassing high-pitched sound after Mike’s question. He had no idea why he’d overreacted.

He had no idea why he’d exposed himself like that.

The cleric could see in their eyes, the moment Mike and Lucas deciphered what his sound had meant. He quickly averted his gaze to the floor. 

“You too?” Lucas asked in a disbelieving tone, and Will briefly thought that this day couldn’t possibly get any worse.

But, apparently, it could.

As he looked back up, the hazel-eyed boy realized that the question hadn’t been directed at him. The ranger hadn’t asked whether he’d also kissed Dustin.

The question had been directed at the bard. Lucas was asking the blue-eyed teen whether he’d also kissed Will.

And Mike hadn’t missed that.

“Wait,  _ too _ ?” The paladin asked.

“ _ You _ too?” The bard turned to Lucas.

Will definitely wanted to disappear, at least from this conversation, but ideally off the face of the Earth.

Lucas gulped. “I— Uh, I mean, it was just an innocent kiss,” the boy said. “I started it. It wasn’t Will’s fault”.

_ Wait, did Lucas? _

Dustin snorted. “Well, mine was a little less innocent,” the bard grinned.

Will’s eyes immediately shot up at the curly-haired teen.  _ Is he for real now? _ Had Dustin thought that it had been a competition or something?

He could see the moment his friend realized his mistake. “I— Uh— I mean,” the blue-eyed boy stuttered, but couldn’t form a single sentence.

_ God _ .

Another secret was out. Now everyone knew he’d kissed Dustin and Lucas.

With extreme difficulty, the cleric finally turned his gaze towards Mike. As much as he dreaded the moment, he knew he had to face the paladin.

What he saw was a lot worse than what he’d expected to see. Will had expected to see anger, disgust, or contempt. He hadn’t expected to see something he couldn’t decipher. He had no idea what was going on in Mike’s head, and that scared him. The only thing he recognized was the spark in the dungeon master’s eyes, although he had no idea what that was, or why it was there in the first place.

“Will?” Mike said, his voice barely above a whisper.

He could feel the question that was coming

_ ‘Is it true?’ _

Yes, it was.

He wouldn’t be able to lie to Mike even if he wanted to.

The paladin’s lips parted, and the words left his mouth.

“Kiss me”.

_ What? _

He’d definitely misheard that. He’d also misread Mike’s lips as well.

Based on the other two’s reaction, they had also made a mistake like him.

_ How silly is it that all three of us made the same mistake? _

_ Or maybe Mike misspoke? _

“W-What?” Will managed to ask.

Mike’s expression was still something he couldn’t decipher. “I dare you to kiss me”.

He definitely hadn’t misheard anything this time. But there was still a chance that he’d caught a fever and had been hallucinating. Or he was actually asleep and this was all a dream. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d dreamt of Mike saying something like that.

The cleric looked at his other friends, waiting for them to say something — anything. Maybe Lucas would say that they couldn’t dare him to do that, or Dustin would joke about them getting a room.

None of them did.

The boy slowly turned to Mike, who was still looking at him…  _ like that _ .

His heart was going a thousand miles a minute as he leaned in. Will didn’t ask  _ ‘where’ _ , or  _ ‘how long’ _ . He knew those questions wouldn’t be answered anyway.

Was he really doing this?

_ Am I really doing this? _

He was expecting Lucas or Dustin to stop the whole thing.

None of them did.

And deep down, he knew he didn’t want them to.

Mike’s face was getting closer and closer, and at the last second, Will shut his eyes.

Their lips collided, and everything else disappeared. Nothing else mattered but them and their burning skin. Will knew his face was red from all the blushing, but he couldn’t figure out why Mike’s plump lips were also hot.

Or so damn soft.

The cleric would’ve been lying if he’d said he’d never thought about kissing Mike. But even in his wildest dreams, he would’ve never been able to do this justice. His heart was threatening to explode, his mind was short-circuiting, and all his senses were going into overdrive.

_ Did Dustin feel the same when he was kissing Mike? _

Will didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, he pulled away. And as the smaller boy opened his eyes and looked into his friend’s dark brown irises, a word appeared on his mind to describe the fire that he’d seen there.

_ Hunger _ .

Lucas cleared his throat, and Will turned around so quickly, one would’ve thought he’d been caught doing something illegal. But it was the bard that opened his mouth first.

“I think,” Dustin said, “that we’ve had enough of this game for a while”.

 

~~** * **~~

 

Will was on autopilot for the rest of the day.

After the game, they’d decided to watch some movies, but the cleric wouldn’t be able to tell anyone the name of the movies even if his life depended on it. They’d also ordered something for lunch, since the snowstorm had passed, but he couldn’t recall what that  _ something _ had been either. If for the whole day, either Lucas, or Dustin, or both, had always found themselves sitting between Mike and Will, then nobody had mentioned it.

A knock on the door frame brought Will back from his thought. He’d gone to the kitchen for… something. Maybe water.

The small boy turned around, and his eyes briefly met Mike’s before they both looked away awkwardly.

“Hi,” the paladin tried for a nervous smile, “uh, can we talk?”

The cleric nodded sheepishly before walking to the kitchen table and sitting down. He didn’t know what to expect from this conversation. Nothing from this whole day had been  _ anything _ he’d expected.

“I want to apologize,” Mike said before biting his lips. The dungeon master always bit his lips whenever he was nervous or deep in thought, and those things happened a lot. That was probably why Will was surprised to see that those pink lips were so soft. He’d always thought they would’ve been a little chapped because of the nervous tic. Perhaps the boy had been using chapstick. Or perhaps Mike was just  _ that _ perfect.

Too late, the hazel-eyed boy realized he’d been zoning out, so he turned his attention back to his friend.

“—Dustin, and I don’t even know what got into me,” the paladin sighed. “I guess I was just jealous and angry”.

Will’s brows furrowed.

_ Jealous? Why? _

The boy didn’t know if he’d asked that out loud, but his friend answered anyway.

“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t thinking at all,” his friend scrunched his nose. “The only thing on my mind was ‘Why did he kiss Lucas and Dustin and not me?’” The dark-haired teen let out a frustrated groan. “So I let that ugly anger demon take control of me again, and ended up forcing you to do that”.

Will knew about Mike’s anger issue, and how ugly the teen could get when he was jealous. They all knew. However, he had no idea why the paladin had been jealous.  _ Was there a secret trophy you’d unlock if you kissed Hawkins’ gayest gay boy or something? _

“It’s alright, Mike,” the cleric said softly. “I forgive you”. If he was being honest, the boy had no idea what there was to forgive. All things considered, kissing someone on a dare wasn’t the worst thing ever — it was pretty standard, actually. Mike  _ had _ kissed Dustin on Max and Jane’s dare, after all. It also wasn’t the worst thing ever to kiss your crush, although he could’ve done it without his two other crushes watching.

“But I really don’t des—”

“I don’t care,” Will shook his head. “You’re forgiven”. Whether that had been because of some mysterious achievements or not, he knew he wouldn’t let there be  _ any _ awkwardness after he kissed anyone anymore. The cleric knew that if he’d thought being awkward around Lucas or Dustin was bad, he wouldn’t be able to survive being awkward around Mike.

The paladin looked Will in the eyes, as if he was trying to find any signs of insincerity. The shorter boy stubbornly held his gaze in response. Mike could try, but he wouldn’t be able to find anything.

“Thanks, Will,” the raven-haired teen finally said with a weak smile. “I’m still sorry, though. That wasn’t how I wanted our first kiss to be”.

Will choked on air.

_ What? _

Had Mike just implied that he’d thought about kissing Will?

What was going on?

Before he could respond to that, there was another knock on the kitchen door frame.

“Is everything alright in here?” Dustin asked before shooting Mike a look.

The paladin scoffed. “Why wouldn’t it be? Is it illegal for me to talk to Will now?

“I never sa—”

“What do you think would happen? That I would shove my tongue down his throat?”

Dustin’s murderous glare at Mike was something Will never thought he would ever see in his life. However, before any of them continued, they were interrupted.

“I went to the bathroom for two minutes, and you guys already want to murder each other?” Lucas asked. “Half a day ago you were still drooling on his chest”.

“Okay, can we stop bringing that up?” Dustin groaned as he turned to glare at the ranger, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Do we ever stop bringing  _ anything _ up?” Mike said tiredly before walking to the kitchen counter and grabbed—  _ Oh, right. We had pizza for lunch _ .

“Don’t eat my pizza!” The bard scowled. “You know I can’t eat yours”.

“For the last time, there is nothing wrong with pineapples on pizza”.

“Nothing— Are you fucking serious?”

Will was glad they’d gone back to bickering about pizza toppings. He hated each and every fight they had with each other.

The sound of the TV could still be heard from the living room, but nobody was watching anymore.

He doubted anyone had in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, who wants to scream at me or unsubscribe? I'd love to hear your thoughts here.
> 
> Do you think I did someone an injustice? Do you think I should've done something differently? Let me know that as well.
> 
> Until next week :)


	22. Friday, December 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will.
> 
> I can't believe this fic is officially longer than _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ now. What a journey!
> 
> I really don't have anything else to say here so, enjoy!

The familiar winter chill notified Will of his admirer’s presence, and the drowsy teen immediately turned toward his window.

“Good to see that you’re setting a trap for me to walk into,” the secret admirer said as he stepped closer to Will. 

If he had been any more awake, the brown-haired boy would’ve rolled his eyes at that comment. All three of his friends knew that he kept the plant on the windowsill, so there was absolutely no reason why the guy wouldn’t be able to avoid knocking anything over. “Just come here,” the smaller boy mumbled before shifting in his bed, making room for another person. The snowstorm had passed, and the others had gone home, so he could get back to his usual schedule of cuddling with his admirer at night.

The bed shifted as the mysterious guy approached and sat down next to him. However, a frown formed on the sleepy boy’s face when that was all his secret admirer was doing — sitting there.

“Wouldn’t want another snowball to hit your neck,” the admirer said softly, answering the question Will had wanted to ask.

“Lie down,” Will slurred, pouting. “I  _ know _ you won’t do anything. I didn’t even hate it”.

“Maybe you thought I was someone else,” the guy said with a sigh, but did what Will had told him to anyway.

“I don’t,” the cleric mumbled before wrapping his arms around his admirer, burying his face in the guy’s chest. It was apparent that the secret admirer didn’t believe him, but Will didn’t know how to change that, since repeatedly confirming that didn’t seem to help, so he decided to change the topic. “How did you do it?”

“Do what?” The admirer whispered softly.

“The plant,” the sleepy teen said. “How did you get it here?”

The secret admirer hummed and planted a soft kiss on Will’s forehead. “The car,” the guy said. “I woke up when I usually did, made sure you were all asleep, before taking the car back to my place to get the present”.

Will nodded before another question popped into his head. “But you couldn’t be sure we’d be asleep the whole time”.

“You’re absolutely correct,” his secret admirer chuckled. “So I had to pretend I was in the bathroom and sneak out the window. I took one of your phones there and called that number while I was gone, so if someone had talked to me, I could’ve answered”.

The cleric frowned. “That was a lot of work,” he mumbled. “And risky, too”.

“That was why I had to do it as quickly as possible,” the admirer said. “Didn’t you notice the present was wrapped differently? I couldn’t do that in advance, so I had to bring the wrapping paper and the ribbon back here”.

Will  _ had _ noticed the unusual state of his previous present, but he hadn’t questioned that. Logically he knew that the plant couldn’t have been wrapped days in advance, but he hadn’t expected it to be finished right in this house. He hadn’t even thought very hard about the plant at all, mainly because of the events that had happened yesterday. He hadn’t realized that it had taken his secret admirer  _ that _ much effort to put a smile on his face. But then, it shouldn’t have been a surprise to the cleric, the amount of effort his admirer had put into that. After all, what the guy had been doing had taken not only tons of time, but also of effort and money as well.

“Thank you,” the cleric whispered, “for everything”. He knew there was no way a single ‘thank you’ would be enough to express his gratitude, but it was a start, and was certainly better than not saying anything.

The guy chuckled softly and planted a kiss on the brown-haired teen’s forehead. “Anything for you, my love. You deserve the whole world”.

 

~~* ** *~~

 

Will wondered if he’d made the right choice.

He didn’t know when he’d completely drifted off, but he knew that during his drowsy state last night, however long that had been, he hadn’t kissed his admirer once. The boy had thought that, since his secret admirer had tried to keep distance, it had been his way of assuring the mysterious guy that he wouldn’t do anything to make the admirer uncomfortable. But looking at it now, Will wondered whether it had been a smart decision after all. What if his admirer had taken it the wrong way? What if the guy thought Will had changed his mind? Would the snuggling be enough to assure his admirer that he was fine with everything that had happened?

Today’s gift was waiting for him on top of his bedside table. The cleric turned his eyes toward his new night lamp, where a package in red wrapping was leaning against it, with a cream-colored note waiting for him. The present was a little smaller than a lunch box, and unlike most days, Will had some idea what it could’ve been. Still, he reached for the note first.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_Any day I spend with you is the best day ever. You bring so much joy and happiness to the world that sometimes I wonder how that much positive energy can be contained inside a human body. You’re the light in my life, bringing good things to my world._ **
> 
> **_Christmas is almost here, so I thought you could use the festive spirit of today’s gift. Happy holiday, my love!_ **
> 
> **_Two more days and we will be on our way to New York. Are you excited? I know I am._ **
> 
> **_Have a great December 21st. Only 4 days to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Will’s face turned beet red, like usual, but not because of the note. Well, maybe only  _ partly _ because of the note, since he believed he would’ve blushed from the kind words of his admirer anyway. However, today’s note reminded Will of something that had happened earlier that night. His secret admirer had called him ‘my love’. It might not have been that big of a deal since the guy had called him that several times in the notes as well, but that had been the first time the admirer had vocally called him so. To him, it just felt like something huge, something worth celebrating, or worth telling everyone about. The boy already knew he would tell everyone as soon as he got to school.

As for the present, he had a fairly good idea of what it might be. Ever since Dustin had mentioned the ‘sweet day’, Will had tried to look for a pattern in the gifts, and he had noticed something. Every Friday, the Party would usually gather at someone’s place and have a movie night. Coincidentally, the last two Fridays, his admirer had given him the Harry Potter DVD set, as well as  _ Love, Simon _ and  _ Call Me By Your Name _ . That, and the admirer’s words about ‘festive spirit’, led him to the conclusion that some Christmas movies were waiting for him beneath the wrapping paper.

He was, in fact, correct. His present of the day consisted of the first two  _ Home Alone _ movies,  _ How The Grinch Stole Christmas _ ,  _ A Christmas Carol _ ,  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ , and, surprisingly,  _ Die Hard _ . Considering how old the movies were, he’d watched each one at least once, and he knew he’d enjoyed every single one of them — although some might argue that not all of them were Christmas movies. The boy supposed they could watch  _ A Christmas Carol _ later, since he had a feeling if he brought up  _ Die Hard _ , he would have to deal with Dustin and Lucas bickering for the entire evening.

 

~~* ** *~~

 

“So, he called you  _ ‘my love’ _ out loud?” Lucas asked in an amused tone.

“Well, I think?” Will said timidly. “I could’ve dreamt or imagined that, although I don’t think I did”.

He’d always been less and less sure of his midnight conversation the longer he’d spent awake. Not that he would’ve been able to recite everything they’d said to each other if he’d just woken up, but at least he wouldn’t have felt like that had been a dream. Everything had always felt so surreal that he never knew whether he’d imagined the whole thing or not. Everything but the kisses. They’d been surreal in a different way, and those kisses had been the only thing the cleric had been sure had happened.

“And he’d never done that before?” The ranger continued.

The shorter boy shook his head. “If he had, I don’t have any memory of it”. He was definitely blushing now, but there wasn’t exactly anything he could’ve done to stop that. Furthermore, he didn’t need to hide when he was blushing because of the secret admirer.

He and Lucas had Biology before lunch, and Will thought he might as well tell someone about it.

“Well, this is certainly adorable,” Lucas chuckled. “I mean, your secret admirer calling you that was also cute, but definitely not as cute as you blushing and gushing about it”.

“I wasn’t gushing,” the cleric protested weakly.

“Well, then let me remind you that when you’re whispering, you might want to go at a slower pace, not faster,” the other boy said with a grin.

“Shut up,” Will mumbled. It wasn’t his fault he was excited about the new development in his nightly interactions. Of course, it would’ve made more sense to the ranger if he’d mentioned that he and his secret admirer hadn’t kissed at all last night, but he would’ve had to mention the making out as well.

“Anyway, why did you tell me this?” Lucas asked, snapping Will out of his train of thought. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you tell me things. But did you tell me that because you think I’m the admirer, or because you think I’m not?”

The brown-haired teen’s heart skipped a beat at his friend’s words.  _ Do I think that Lucas is the admirer? _

“I— I try not to think of any of you as my admirer,” he said sheepishly. “I just can’t believe that any of you would be him”.

“Because we’re all ‘straight’?” Lucas air-quoted, rolling his eyes. “I thought we’d come out to you already”.

“N-Not that,” the cleric mumbled as his cheeks grew brighter and brighter, “I just— You guys are smart, and handsome, and kind, and can be with someone a lot better than me”. He wasn’t exactly wrong, either. Although they were all considered the ‘nerds’ and the ‘losers’, the small teen had heard whispers and rumors, of girls who thought that Dustin’s smile was adorable, of girls who went to the drama club’s rehearsals solely because of Mike, or of girls who said Lucas was perfect boyfriend material. Of course, he hadn’t heard any guy say anything, but that was probably because anyone who wasn’t straight in Hawkins was already in the Party. “I just don’t think that—”

“Look, Will,” the ranger interrupted, “I appreciate that you think so highly of us, of me, but the truth is, you’re better than me in every way. You’re smart, funny, kind, and are the epitome of goodness. I honestly don’t think someone better than you exists”.

Each word coming out of Lucas’ mouth added one more shade of red to the hazel-eyed teen, and by the time the taller boy finished talking, Will thought his heart might have exploded already. “You’re exaggerating,” he said sheepishly. “I’m not as great as you think. I’m not even slightly great”.

“I can text the guys and ask if you want,” Lucas suggested with a wide grin.

“No! Don’t—”

“What’s going on back there?” Mr. Parker asked loudly, putting a stop to their conversation.

 

~~* ** *~~

 

“And why do I have to drive for a full twelve hours?” Mike asked incredulously.

“Because it’s your car, isn’t it?” Dustin gave the paladin the most innocent grin he could muster.

Today’s lunch had turned into a debate to see who would, as the bard had put it, ‘suffer the most on their Sunday trip to New York’. Mike had volunteered his car for the cause, which had given Dustin a chance to try and persuade Mike to drive them the whole way. If Will didn’t know any better, he would’ve assumed that the curly-haired boy was trying to be extra annoying to Mike to make up for the hostility from the previous day.

Actually, he didn’t know any better.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t drive it,” the taller boy glared back. “You drive my car all the time”.

“Also, you’ve always wanted to be the designated driver,” the bard batted his eyelashes at Mike. “This is your moment to shine”.

“How about we all drive?” Will suggested after taking a quick glance at Lucas. The ranger seemed two seconds away from shoving his lunch tray down someone’s throat. “Each of us can drive for three hours, and we can also ride shotgun for another three”. The cleric could see that Dustin was about to protest, so he quickly continued. “I never get to drive you guys anywhere. I know it didn’t make sense to drive you somewhere in your own car, but this time it’s obviously different. Please?”

The brown-haired teen could see that he’d already won from the look in the bard’s eyes, but he still held his pleading gaze until his friend finally relented and nodded with a sigh.

“Nice job, Will,” Lucas chuckled, “although I don’t think you needed that last ‘please’ to make Dustin get down on his hands and knees”.

“Not out of character, unfortunately,” Mike added.

“Hey!” The bard scowled. “Wanna come at me? I can take both of you down”.

“With you? I’m sure you can,” their dungeon master rolled his eyes.

“Keep talking and I will shove—”

“So, what time should we leave?” Lucas interrupted the curly-haired teen.

“I think we should meet around 6am,” Will said. “That way we’ll have a few hours for night-time New York”.

“We’ll arrive in New York after a 12-hour drive,” Mike frowned. “Do you think we’ll have enough energy to go out  _ after _ we meet Nancy and Jonathan?”

“It’s my first time out of town,” Dustin huffed. “I  _ will _ go out even if it kills me afterward”.

“You will be too exhausted and it  _ will _ kill you,” the paladin glared at his friend. “And I’m gonna be held accountable if that happens”.

“I’m pretty sure if that happens, Nancy and Jonathan will be held accountable,” the curly-haired teen rolled his eyes.

“You didn’t ask  _ Nancy and Jonathan _ to come in with you when you asked your mom to go to New York,” Mike retorted.

“Come on, Mike,” Lucas interrupted, “I think we’ll be good enough to go out that night. After all, we’ll be sitting in a car for 12 hours. That’s probably enough confined space for one day”.

Will grinned but didn’t participate in the conversation. Since this was three against one, Mike would be outvoted anyway. But if somehow the dungeon master  _ did _ win, the brown-haired teen knew one quite effective way to change his friend’s mind. Therefore, he decided to just sit back and enjoy his lunch, as well as the show.

“You just say that because you also want to go out,” the raven-haired teen huffed.

“Actually, I’m fine with staying in and resting,” the ranger shrugged, “but they have a point. Four young people going to New York and going to bed at, what, 9pm?”

“Now I  _ know _ you’re just quoting stuff,” the paladin glared.

Dustin smirked at the two. “Come on,  _ daddy _ , even Lucas agreed that we should go out”.

Now, Will Byers hadn’t made too many bad decisions this week, but he had definitely made one when he’d picked up his glass just moments before that. He also wasn’t sure whether the other two had heard the entire sentence, but the brown-haired teen had almost missed the last part, since as soon as the word  _ ‘daddy’ _ left the bard’s lips, all the water he had yet to swallow had decided to leave his body through his nose, and the small cleric immediately went into a coughing fit as a result.

“Jesus!” Lucas exclaimed as he patted the hazel-eyed teen on the back.

“Dustin!” Mike groaned. “I thought we agreed that you aren’t allowed to think of new nicknames anymore”.

“But it’s a perfect nickname,” Dustin whined. “You  _ are _ acting like a parent, after all”. The bard turned to Lucas after that. “Does that make you  _ mommy _ , then?”

“Leave me out of this,” the black teen warned.

“We’re at school, asshole,” Mike hissed. “Someone’s gonna hear you”.

“What’s wrong with that?” The curly-haired teen batted his eyes and grinned in the most innocent way possible.

“You know damn well what’s wrong with that,” Lucas huffed, “just like you know damn well what’s wrong with calling you  _ Big D _ ”.

“That was just Dudley’s nickname,” Dustin protested.

“But you didn’t want us to use that just because it was Dudley’s nickname, did you?” the paladin glared at the bard.

Will knew too well what had been on Dustin’s mind. After all, they’d been friends for half their lives. “Can we just talk about something else, please?” He said exasperatedly.

“Sorry, Will,” the curly-haired teen said with a grin that was far from apologetic.

 

~~* ** *~~

 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Mike asked, snapping Will back to reality.

“W-What?” The shorter boy asked in confusion as he turned to his raven-haired friend.

They were at his house watching Christmas movies together. At least that had been the plan. The cleric hadn’t noticed that he’d been spacing out, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d seen  _ Home Alone _ almost every Christmas, he wouldn’t have had any idea what was happening.

“Have I told you that you have a signature sigh when thinking about your secret admirer?” The paladin asked with a soft smile.

Will took a quick glance at his two other friends. Their eyes were on the TV, but it was apparent that their attention was on this conversation. The boy let out another sigh. “You might have mentioned it,” he said. “How do you describe it? My sigh”.

“Well, it’s—”

“—a little sad,” Lucas interrupted. “And I guess it also sounds like you’re a little confused”.

“And a little longing, too,” Dustin chimed in. “Like,  _ ‘Romeo, Romeo, where art thou, Romeo’ _ kind of longing”.

“You know that’s not how it goes, right?” Mike cocked an eyebrow.

“And why should I know that, Michael?”

“Maybe because we’re in drama club, have you ever thought of that?”

“And despite not knowing that, I’m still a better Jul—”

“For the last time, acting out every line in  _ Love Story _ doesn’t make—”

“Guys?” Lucas cleared his throat, interrupting the bickering duo. “Getting a little sidetracked there”.

Mike and Dustin turned back to their two friends abashedly. “Sorry,” Mike said sheepishly. “The point is, Will, you’re troubled by something. And even though you don’t have to tell us, maybe we can help if you do”.

The brown-haired teen let out another sigh. His friends were very observant — maybe too observant. Now that the day had almost passed, the giddy feeling from his admirer calling him  _ ‘my love’ _ had all but disappeared, and the troubling thought that had been buried underneath it had surfaced.

“What if I’m not good enough for the admirer?” The cleric blurted out. Almost instantly, he could see the tired  _ ‘oh, this conversation again’ _ look in all his friends’ eyes — especially Lucas’ — so he quickly continued before anyone could interrupt. “I’m serious, guys. I mean, I kissed all of you, and—”

“And you’re single,” Mike interrupted. “You’re allowed to do anything you want to. I mean, we all have kissed someone. I kissed Dustin on a dare last week. Did that make either of us less good in your book?”

“No, but—”

“Also,” Dustin chimed in, “you kissed Mike on a dare, and that was because he was being an ass—”

“Thanks, man, I’m right here”.

“Still an ass,” the curly-haired boy briefly turned to the raven-haired teen before looking back at Will, “and I can’t be one hundred percent sure about Lucas, but I’m pretty sure he and I both initiated it”.

“And even  _ if _ you had initiated it,” Lucas continued, “you still didn’t do anything wrong. This is the 21st century. You don’t have to  _ ‘save yourself for someone special’ _ or something like that”.

“But—”

“No buts, Will,” Mike said, “if I kissed Lucas right now, would it make you feel better? Or would it make me a bad person?”

The paladin’s question had effectively yanked Will out of his negative thoughts. Or more precisely, the question had yanked  _ all thoughts _ out of him, crumbled them all into a huge ball, thrown them into the trash can, and filled his brain with the image of his two friends kissing.

_ What? _

“What?” Lucas broke the awkward silence that the other question had created.

“That was an example,” Mike said defensively, his cheeks slightly flushed. “I wasn’t actually gonna kiss you”.

“Why did you use  _ him _ as an example?” Dustin huffed. “What’s wrong with kissing me?”

“I  _ did _ use you earlier, dumbass,” Mike scowled, “but it didn’t work, did it?”

“What’s wrong with him kissing  _ me _ , then?” Lucas raised an eyebrow at the blue-eyed boy. “You have a problem with that?”

Will didn’t know about the bard, but he would definitely have a  _ problem _ if that happened.

“Maybe I just think I’m better at kissing than you,” the curly-haired teen said cockily.

The brown-haired teen definitely didn’t like where this conversation was heading.

Or, to be more precise, he liked it a little too much.

“Guys,” he interrupted the three before they could put any more thoughts in his head, “I get it”. The boys turned back to him, and he felt his face grow even hotter. “I get that it’s not, well,  _ bad _ that I’ve kissed all of you. Just that, well, I’ve kissed all of you”.  _ And I might have feelings for all of you as well _ .

“Well, look on the bright side,” Mike chuckled softly, “now you know you’ve definitely kissed your secret admirer”.

The cleric had no idea how much more he could blush, but apparently, he hadn’t reached his limit yet.  _ Might as well _ . “Actually, I  _ have _ kissed my secret admirer”.

The three gave him a puzzled look.

“I know,” Dustin said, “Mike just said that”.

“No, I— I mean, I have, at night”. Will had no idea why he’d decided to come clean. This was just one of those days where he thought  _ ‘oh well, this might as well happen’ _ .

“Oh,” Mike said awkwardly after about five seconds of silence. “So you guys made out at night?” The boy asked softly.

“Yeah,” the brown-haired teen replied, not meeting any of his friends’ eyes.

“I guess,” Lucas chuckled, “it wasn’t a snowball bruise, then”.

“Yeah”.

“Was he good?” Dustin asked in an amused tone, eyes darting back and forth between the paladin and the ranger.

“Dustin!” The raven-haired boy groaned.

“What?” The bard said exasperatedly. “It was a genuine question”.

“You two are idiots,” Lucas grumbled.

Will noticed that the movie they’d been watching had ended a while ago.

None of them had paid much attention to that — the boys were already back to bickering.

But in a way, he guessed it was good.

He’d told them about his nightly encounters, and they still didn’t treat him differently.

He definitely had the most amazing friends in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think of this chapter? Love it? Hate it? Your comments literally give me the strength to continue writing.
> 
> It's almost the end now, so I want to ask you this: no matter who the secret admirer is (or perhaps there are more than one), which questions do you think Will should ask when he finally learns the truth? (Like, "how did you do this/that" or something). I obviously already have some explanations ready, but you might want to know more than Will, and I will try to give you as many answers as I can in the last chapters.
> 
> Until next week!


	23. Saturday, December 22nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> First of all, happy birthday William Byers from most of the world. I honestly thought they would've released the trailer today instead, but I'm not complaining.
> 
> Second, I have been putting the trailer on a loop for 40 hours. Still haven't grown tired of that yet.
> 
> And last but not least, welcome to another chapter of Dear Will! This one also got a little out of hand, so I apologize for another long chapter.
> 
> I'll leave the chit chat for later. Right now, enjoy!

“You know we can’t keep doing this, right?” The secret admirer said softly as he sat down on Will’s bed. The brown-haired teen immediately curled up around his new source of heat, as if the guy would’ve disappeared otherwise.

“Fine,” the admirer sighed, “scoot in”.

Will chuckled and did as he was told, making room for his admirer. As soon as the guy’s back hit the mattress, the cleric wrapped his arms around his mysterious visitor and buried his face in the guy’s chest. “Missed you,” he mumbled.

“Missed you too,” the guy whispered. “But like I said, you know we can’t keep doing this forever, right? I can’t stay with you every night when your mom comes back. Not to mention, Hopper might shoot me”.

“Jim’s not gonna shoot you,” the drowsy cleric replied. However, his secret admirer had a point. They wouldn’t be able to do this once everyone came back to Hawkins. He wasn’t even sure if they’d be able to do this in New York, or if it would be too awkward with two of their friends also in the vicinity.

“Sure he will,” the admirer chuckled softly. “I’m sure even our friends will want to shoot me, as soon as they know who is responsible for your hickey. Still can’t believe you told them about that, by the way”.

“Nobody said anything when I mentioned it,” Will said, frowning a little. They had assured him that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that getting a hickey wasn’t a big deal. Now, his admirer was implying that it  _ had _ been a big deal.

“Nobody said anything because there was nothing to say,” the guy said gently. “They don’t have a problem with you getting a hickey. They just have a problem with me giving you one”.

“Did you guys make a bet or something?” The cleric asked.  _ Was there an achievement for giving the gayest kid in Hawkins a hickey? _

“Really? A bet?” The secret admirer replied in an unamused tone. “Because a  _ bet _ is more believable than the alternative?”

“What alternative?” The brown-haired teen mumbled.

His question was met with a long silence, and if the admirer hadn’t been rubbing his back the whole time, he would’ve thought the guy had dozed off.

“You know what, let’s forget about it,” the mysterious guy finally replied. “It’s not really my place to say anyway”.

If he had been more awake, if he hadn’t been too tired, Will definitely would’ve pursued this topic. But given his current condition, the cleric just hummed softly and nuzzled the admirer’s chest.

“On the bright side,” his secret admirer chuckled, “now you won’t have to endure Dustin’s interrogation anymore”.

The half-asleep teen let out an amused huff and gently bumped his head against the other guy’s chest. “It wasn’t too bad, anyway. I didn’t really mind”.

“That makes one of us,” the admirer snorted.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” Will said softly. “I know you all love each other. You don’t have to pretend in front of me”.

“Good night, Will,” his secret admirer said with a chuckle and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

 

~~* * *~~

 

Will had spent the last hour wrapping presents for his boys.

It hadn’t taken that much time to actually wrap everything, but he hadn’t thought about how ridiculous it would be to bring three drawings to New York to give to his friends only for them to bring back to Hawkins anyway. Technically, that could’ve been said that to all his gifts to the boys, but he figured it would be easier to bring something like a notebook back and forth. After thorough consideration, he’d finally come up with a solution. Each of the boys’ presents now consisted of the items he’d previously bought, two polaroids of them that he thought they’d want to have — since they had all shown interest in a lot of the pictures he’d taken, and one photo he’d taken that very morning of the three drawings. Underneath the photo, he’d told them that each of them would get one drawing, and he’d let them choose which one they liked. The cleric wasn’t sure what had made him do that, but his instinct told him that the boys would prefer it that way.

Mike had told Will he’d come over at around 10am. ‘Come over’, not ‘pick him up’. The paladin had also told him that he didn’t need to get ready, so he assumed that they wouldn’t leave his house today. That meant, unlike his day with the other two, he had an abundance of time to spend this morning. He’d already had breakfast, taken a shower,  _ and _ done his laundry. At one point, the boy was sure he’d even considered cleaning his house, but had decided against that — at least for now. The note of the day had also been read thrice and put carefully on his desk, so it would be easier to show Mike later.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You_ ** **_are_ ** **_good enough. You’re good enough for anyone in the world, and you’re definitely more than good enough for me. I’m not sure how many times you need to hear that, but I (and I’m sure the others as well) will say it as many times as it takes for you to believe that. It saddens me that you don’t see yourself as the amazing person you clearly are, but that’s why I’m here anyway — to make you realize how great and wonderful everyone else sees you._ **
> 
> **_Today’s gift… Well, it’s not like any of us to do this kind of thing, but to be honest, I can’t come up with a better idea that conveys what I’m hoping to achieve here. Let’s hope the power of my feelings for you, combined with the ancient power of this thing, protect you from the nightmares._ **
> 
> **_Have a great December 22nd, Will! Only three days to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

Everyone kept saying that. Everyone kept telling him that he was great, wonderful, and all those adjectives he’d used to describe his friends. That was really nice and flattering, and those words were wonderful, but he was sure the others had put him on a pedestal — an impossibly tall one at that. He would never be able to meet their expectations.

Today’s present, like his secret admirer had mentioned, was quite unusual. When he’d first seen a circular package no bigger than his hand in red wrapping, his first guess had been a small frisbee. After reading the note and picking up the gift, his next guess had been a hoop. Neither items would’ve been able to ‘protect him from the nightmares’ unless the admirer had planned to tire him out so he wouldn’t have any dreams whatsoever each and every day, so he’d decided to just go ahead and unwrap the thing. And now, there was a dreamcatcher hanging on his wall.

_ Dreamcatcher _ , Will chuckled inwardly,  _ that was certainly a cute idea _ . He definitely didn’t expect any of his boys to believe that the small object could stop the nightmares he still sometimes had about all the things they’d gone through, but it was the thought that counts. The brown-haired teen could see from the clumsiness of the knots that whoever had made this wasn’t the most experienced in the field. That was probably another handmade gift, which only made it even more priceless, if that was possible. He could almost hear his admirer talking to him through the talisman.  _ ‘I might not be able to take the bad dreams away, but I’ll always be there for you’ _ . At least, that was what he believed the admirer was trying to say without using words.

 

~~* * *~~

 

A knock on the window snapped Will back into reality. Having too much time on his hands, he’d started to space out and imagine his trip to New York. That had only made him giddier and more excited about the day after, which, in turn, made him feel bad for wanting Sunday to come faster, because, at the same time, he didn’t want Saturday to end, since this was his day with Mike, after all.

The paladin was standing outside his window, with his backpack on his shoulder, waving at him with the smile that had always managed to take his breath away. “Hey, Will,” the taller teen greeted softly, “may I come in?”

The small cleric immediately rushed to the window with the brightest grin. “Hey,” he said, “you do realize we have a door, right?”

“But I miss climbing through your window,” the raven-haired teen said with a goofy grin as he gracefully propped himself up and climbed in.

“We barely do that,” Will chuckled as he helped Mike in. It wasn’t exactly true. They’d done that a lot as kids — mostly to quickly get to and back from Castle Byers without having to walk past anyone, but also occasionally when one of them had been grounded and thus not been allowed to see each other. However, those times had been way back in their childhood, before Jane, before the upside down, before the monsters, before everything. Mike’s visits had become a lot less frequent after Jane, and since he’d used the front door most of the time anyway, the cleric could count the times his friend had climbed in through the window in the last three years on the fingers of his hands.

“So,” the paladin said as he stood inside his best friend’s bedroom, “what have you been doing today?”

Will blushed slightly at that.  _ Nothing, just waiting for you _ , he thought. The brown-haired teen couldn’t exactly say that, even though he’d finished doing everything he could’ve thought of an hour ago. “Just wrapping the Christmas presents,” he said sheepishly. “That, and doing my chores”.

“Wrapping presents?” Mike asked, brows furrowing a little. “I thought you’d done that already. Your present for Steve was ready yesterday”.

Since they were going to leave quite early on Sunday, and nobody expected to see Mike and Will on their day, Dustin had asked them to give him Steve’s Christmas present, so the boy could deliver them later today. 

“Last minute change of plans,” the cleric said vaguely while trying to think of another topic. He didn’t want to give away the surprises, but he had never been able to lie to Mike very well either. “Anyway, wanna read what I got today?” He immediately headed to his desk and handed the other boy the little note.

As the taller teen turned his attention to the piece of paper he was offered, Will couldn’t help but notice how, recently, he’d been thinking about his secret admirer a little too often. The mysterious guy was on his mind whenever he spaced out while hanging out with his friends, when he was alone at night and wanted to read, or more precisely,  _ study _ the notes, and last but not least, whenever he needed something to distract his friends from the things he could never tell them. He briefly wondered whether his friends had grown sick of him talking about the admirer, or if they also talked about the guy behind his back. After all, one of them had admitted that they had feelings for him. The other two had to be at least a little curious as well.

“So, I’m guessing the thing with the ancient power is that dreamcatcher?” Mike asked as he passed the note back to Will, and the shorter boy nodded in reply. “Do you like it?” The paladin continued.

“Y-Yeah,” the hazel-eyed teen answered timidly. He didn’t think it’d be wise to mention the ‘hidden message’ he’d seen in that little talisman. At best, Mike probably would say he was imagining things. At worst, the paladin probably would think he just went crazy.

_ ‘Yeah… Crazy together…’ _

Suddenly, a memory hit him like a sledgehammer. The memory of a hushed conversation in the basement of a nice house and the end of the cul-de-sac, of promises as old as their friendship with some members of the Party. Back then, Mike had promised that they would go crazy together. Maybe that hadn’t been anything important at all. Maybe Mike had meant it in the most literal sense. However, somehow the cleric knew, just as he knew what his secret admirer wanted to say with that dreamcatcher, that Mike’s promise had been deeper than that.  _ ‘I promise I will always believe you, no matter what. Even if the whole world doesn’t, even if they all call you crazy, I will always believe you’ _ . And Mike had kept that promise, just like every single promise they’d made before that, and every single promise they’d made after that.

Will could tell Mike anything, and the other boy would understand.

_ But what if he’s the admirer? _

_ What if he’s the admirer, and he didn’t mean it that way? _

The paladin would undoubtedly be scared off because of his overanalyzing if that was the case. Perhaps he should just change the topic again, after all.

“You know, that look is never good on you,” Mike said, snapping him out of his train of thought.

“What look?” The cleric furrowed his brows.

“The  _ ‘I am Will and I am overthinking things’ _ look,” the raven-haired teen smiled softly. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me”.

The shorter boy sighed. “But what if I told you something I thought about the admirer, and you were the admirer and that wasn’t true, and you were scared off, and—”

“Do you really think someone who has gone to such lengths to give you a present each day of the month would be  _ that _ easily scared off?” Mike chuckled. “Do you think someone who has been friends with you for most of his life would be  _ that _ easily scared off?”

Will shook his head reluctantly. “I— I guess not,” he mumbled.

“Definitely not,” Mike grinned. “So even  _ if _ I’m the admirer, and you say something odd, I promise it won’t change anything”.

So the brown-haired teen told his friend. He told his friend that sometimes he had weird ideas of what a hidden message underneath someone’s words or actions were, that those far-fetched thoughts sometimes involved unspoken promises that he wasn’t sure if the other person had made, and that he thought the dreamcatcher represented a promise of being there for him.

To the small boy’s surprise, his best friend actually agreed with him.

“I don’t think that was far-fetched at all,” the raven-haired boy shook his head lightly. “Maybe your secret admirer didn’t consciously think about that, but I’m certain that even if that was the case, deep down, he did mean what you just said”.

“You really think so?” Will asked a little skeptically.

“I know so,” Mike nodded in a reaffirming manner. “You’re amazing, Will. Anyone would be lucky to be there for you”.

The small cleric inwardly facepalmed himself. “You guys kept saying that, but it’s not true, you know?”

“What’s not true?” The paladin asked softly.

“I’m not that amazing person you all make me out to be,” Will shook his head. “I’m just me”.

“Well, ‘just Will’, what do  _ you _ think makes us better than you?” Mike asked with the tone of a parent trying to get their child to the right conclusion, and Will couldn’t help but frown a little.

“Are you kidding me?” The shorter boy asked incredulously. “I’m not as smart or funny as Dustin, not as strong as Lucas, and definitely not the star of the drama club like you”. He’d accepted a long time ago that he had nothing to be proud of, so it slightly annoyed him that his friends kept pretending otherwise. “All of you are amazing. Lucas is good enough to be part of a sports team if he was interested, but he’s far from being a jock. He’s like the perfect senior guy every girl dreams about in movies. Dustin can answer almost every single scientific question. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna discover something that’ll save the world someday”. However, it annoyed him even more because he was having this conversation with the most perfect one amongst his perfect friends. “And then there’s you. You’re smart, funny, and amazing with words. You can create worlds and universes using nothing but your voice. You’re caring, and brave, and you come up with ideas like ‘let’s go underground and burn these vines to help our friend’”. The cleric let out a sigh. “Meanwhile, I’m afraid to sleep with the lights off. I had to learn to not freak out when it’s snowing, because it was cold and it reminded me too much of the upside down. I’m Zombie Boy, Mike, and I always will be,” he finished weakly.

For the entire rant, the paladin only sat quietly at Will’s bed and listened patiently with a sad smile, never once interrupting him, which only strengthened his belief that, yes, Mike really was Mr. Perfect.

“Who’s putting whom on a pedestal, now?” The raven-haired teen chuckled softly. “We aren’t as great, and you’re not as bad as you think you are, Will. I’m definitely not as smart as Dustin. Does that make me any less great to you?”

“Well, no, but—”

“And I’m definitely weaker than both Dustin and Lucas. Does that mean I’m not as great as you think I am?”

“But—”

“No buts,” the taller boy interrupted. “Sure, Dustin is book smart, but he’s also really dumb. He’s the type to use a sledgehammer to hit a nail because he doesn’t know how to use a normal hammer”. He gestured Will to sit down next to him on the bed, and up until that moment, the shorter teen hadn’t realized he’d been standing.

“Lucas and I are really short-tempered,” Mike continued, “especially me. You know this. Everyone knows this. Does that make me less good?”

“No,” Will mumbled. Moments like this made him see why Dustin had referred to Mike as the dad of the Party — even though the curly-haired teen had used a  _ slightly _ different word.

“You compared yourself to each of our strongest suits, but you never thought to compare  _ your _ strongest suits to us,” the paladin said. “ _ You _ are the best student in your art class, am I correct?”

“Yeah, but—”

“And  _ you _ are the only one of us who can make people see exactly what he sees in his mind, aren’t you?”

“But I—”

“You talked about how I came up with the ‘burn that thing down’ plan, but have you thought about how you came up with the ‘close the fucking gate’ plan, knowing it would kill you if we did?” Mike cocked an eyebrow at Will, which made the shorter boy’s cheeks turned pink. He’d only wanted to protect the people he loved.

“You’ve gone through so much more than the rest of us, yet you’re still here,” the raven-haired teen said softly. “You’re still going to New York with us. You just keep going. That only proves how strong you are. Battle scars don’t make us look weak, Will. It’s proof of how strong we are. And you have the most scars, Zombie Boy”. He nudged the cleric’s shoulder gently. “So next time, if you think you’re any less than Frogface, Toothless, and Midnight, I’m gonna give you a full presentation with slides and everything, because ‘just Will Byers’ is the best person I know”.

On one hand, Will still didn’t think he was anywhere as great as his friends. But on the other hand, he knew he wouldn’t be able to win this debate. When Mike put it like that, of course, anyone would sound like the best person in the world. That was just a tiny part of what the paladin could do with words.

“Anyway, what do you want to do today?” The cleric asked, changing the topic.

The raven-haired teen chuckled and stood up. “I was thinking, we could do whatever  _ you _ want today for a change”. He picked up his backpack, which had been left next to the window since the moment he climbed in. “I know we’re going to New York tomorrow, so I don’t think you’ll want to tire yourself out today. I did bring video games, but if you want to go out, we can as well”.

Looking into his friend’s dark brown eyes, Will thought he’d died and gone to heaven or something. Every since the Mind Flayer, he’d had a new preference for being in control. He hadn’t even told anyone about that, but apparently, Mike had also heard the  _ hidden meaning _ underneath his words when he told the paladin about being under the evil’s thumb. Either that or his friend just understood him better than he’d ever hoped.

“Thanks, Mike,” the brown-haired boy smiled softly. “That’s very sweet of you”. The dungeon master had been right as well. They should do some light activities only. “So, Mario Kart?”

“Your wish is my command,” Mike laughed out loud and headed towards the living room.

 

~~* * *~~

 

“Can you check the top cabinet, please?” Will asked as he dragged the bag of flour out of the kitchen cabinet.

He had won that little tournament. Barely. If it hadn’t been for the last blue shell a CPU had used, they would’ve gone into a tiebreaker with six wins each. And since the cleric had won, he’d earned the right to pick a movie to watch — which had been Black Panther. So far, this day with Mike had been wonderful. They hadn’t done anything  _ special _ like what he’d done with Lucas or Dustin, but that didn’t mean the day hadn’t been special in its own way. The brown-haired teen hadn't felt that comfortable and relaxed in a while, and after such an eventful week, this was just what he needed. Perhaps it was because Will had been choosing what they’d do, or maybe it was because he’d been in the most familiar place there was for him, or it could be because he was with Mike, and that was just how things were with the paladin. Whatever the reason was, he was glad that he could spend the last day before his trip goofing around.

After the movie, the cleric had suggested preparing something for the road. And that was why they were now in the kitchen, trying to bake basically anything they could with the ingredients available. Will wanted to make cupcakes, but Mike said it would be easier to preserve cookies. They had decided to compromise and make both, with each of them being in charge of their own idea.

“Yeah, it’s not here,” Mike said. “I don’t think your mom is gonna keep the strainer up there anyway”.

“Then check next to the stove again,” the shorter teen rolled his eyes affectionately. “It has to be in there”.

The paladin snorted. “Don’t you think if it was there, I would—” He cut himself off, and Will immediately knew why. This would happen almost every single time. “Never mind. Found it”.

The cleric sniggered. “Mike Wheeler has solved the mystery of the missing—”

“Shut up,” the taller boy groaned, and the hazel-eyed teen felt something hitting the back of his head.

_ God. Not again _ .

“Mike!” He yelped and turned around to the other boy, whose hand was covered in baking powder and who was now trying for an innocent smile, despite the fact that the traces of his action was still floating in the air and covering the floor.

As quick as lighting, Will’s hand dug into his own bag of flour, and before the dungeon master could even try to shield his face, white powder was already covering everything.

“There’s something different,” the cleric teased. “Did you just do something to your hair?”

“Oh, you wanna dance, Byers?” Mike said as his hand moved back to the bowl of powder, a mischievous glint in his eyes. The shorter boy barely had enough time to pick up the baking tray and shield himself before the next attack came.

This was exactly why all their mothers had banned them from baking together. Even the sweet Claudia Henderson wouldn’t have been able to deal with the mess with a straight face once her beloved son had started using eggs as ammunition, especially when Jane could redirect most things thrown at her. Dustin had been grounded for the entire weekend after that.

Luckily, since there were only two of them, even after five minutes, the mess was far from being the worst. Furthermore, neither his mom nor Jim would be walking through the front door anytime soon, so they had plenty of time to clean up. Unlucky for them, they still needed to bake,  _ and _ clean up after.

“Look what you did, Mike,” Will said, catching his breath as he looked over at his friend. They were both leaning on the counter. Mike was fully covered in flour, and the shorter boy was sure he didn’t look any better either.

“Me?” The taller teen asked incredulously as he turned towards his friend. “As I recall, I wasn’t the only one throwing ingredients around here”.

“No, but you  _ did _ start the whole thing,” the cleric chuckled. “If it hadn’t been for you, neither of us would’ve looked like statues now”.

“Statues, huh?” Mike laughed and lifted himself up before grabbing some tissues to clean himself up a little. “You would’ve made a great statue”.

“Now you just sound like Medusa,” the shorter boy rolled his eyes.

“Can’t believe you’re comparing me to a gorgon now,” the raven-haired teen said and gestured Will to come closer. “Let me help you with this,” he said softly and gently wiped the flour off the shorter boy’s face.

Suddenly, Will noticed how close their faces were. He didn’t think Mike needed to get  _ that _ close to clean him up, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain. He could see the different gradients of Mike’s eyes — those brown orbs becoming more and more beautifully hypnotizing like a kaleidoscope. He could count every freckle on Mike’s cute nose — each of them like a star in the most beautiful constellation he’d ever seen. He could see Mike’s lips, pink and soft and inviting and—

_ Shit. I’m staring at Mike’s lips _ .

The cleric immediately moved his eyes back up to meet his friend’s, only to realize that the paladin had watched the whole thing. Mike’s eyes were gentle and fond, and before Will could even blush, the taller teen asked softly. “May I kiss you?”

Will was sure his heart had exploded. He was sure he’d died some time ago. Because there was no other explanation to why Mike Wheeler would want to kiss him.  _ Twice _ . Or perhaps, somehow someone had hypnotized Mike and told him to kiss Will. Before his brain could sabotage him somehow, the hazel-eyed teen nodded his head, and that was all the permission Mike needed to lean in and connect their lips.

Kissing Mike the second time felt nothing like the first time. Maybe it was because there was no audience this time, or maybe it was simply because his nerves weren’t overstrung like the first time. This time he got to concentrate on more than just Mike’s lips. This time, he got to feel Mike, and the paladin was quite something else. He remembered kissing Lucas was like dancing — elegant and beautiful, like he was a part of a masterpiece. Kissing Dustin was like going on an adventure — new and exciting, like he was discovering a new uninhabited area. Kissing Mike, however, felt like coming home. It was familiar and nostalgic, like he had done it a million times before. Their lips fit into each other’s, and their tongues danced around like they were made for one another. He definitely wouldn’t mind doing only this until the end of time.

However, slowly but surely, his mind caught up with what he was doing, and the shorter boy gently put one hand on his best friend’s chest. That was enough for Mike to stop and slowly pull away. The paladin’s eyes searched for his, and once they met, Will could tell that Mike understood without him having to say a word.

“Your secret admirer?” The taller boy asked softly.

“Yeah,” the cleric answered sheepishly.

“You really like him, don’t you?” This was also more of a statement than a question, and Will only nodded in response. The raven-haired teen chuckled. “It’s okay. I understand”. They both pulled away, and Mike grabbed his bowl of baking powder, preparing the mixture once again. “Who knows, it could be me,” he said and sent Will a wink.

“I doubt that that’s the case,” the hazel-eyed teen said softly. “Although it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world”.

“Guess you’ll know in three days, then,” the paladin grinned.

The shorter boy smiled to himself.

Three more days and he would find out who the admirer was.

Three more days and the mystery would be answered.

Three more days and maybe,  _ maybe _ he would have a boyfriend.

Of course, that was only if his secret admirer hadn’t grown bored of him by then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think of this? Like it? Hate it? Think I need to tone something down a bit? Think it was unfair of me to _not_ let Mike take Will out? Let me know below.
> 
> The cleric has officially had his day with all three of the boys. Which one was your favorite, and was it only because you want that pairing to be the endgame or was there another reason? I would love to hear about this as well.
> 
> Of course, I still wanna hear about the questions you or Will might have for the secret admirer, so if your question hasn't been mentioned by anyone yet, feel free to drop in in the comments.
> 
> Until next time.


	24. Sunday, December 23rd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome back to another update of Dear Will!
> 
> It's my first time ever writing some of the characters in this chapter. Hope I didn't make them to ooc or anything.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“I see that you’re ready to go,” the secret admirer chuckled as he approached Will’s bed.

After Mike had gone back home, which hadn’t been too early considering how they’d had to clean up the mess they’d made, the small cleric had packed his clothes, picked out an outfit, and practically done everything he could so he’d be able to leave at a moment’s notice. He’d wanted to bring everything the admirer had given him so far to show Jonathan, but eventually, he’d had to admit to himself that carrying half an art supply store to New York wasn’t the smartest decision, so he’d settled for all the clothes, accessories, his photo album, and his new camera. His older brother would appreciate photos better than art supplies anyway. By the end of the evening, his duffle bag had been placed nicely next to the bedroom door, his outfit had been set aside neatly, his camera and his photo album had been put in his backpack, and the cookies and cupcakes had been safely stored in three Ziploc bags. He’d checked everything thrice before going to bed to make sure nothing would get left behind, or forgotten.

“I don’t want to leave anything behind,” the drowsy teen mumbled as he moved over to make space for his admirer, who, by now, knew that it would save them both some time if he just laid down.

“I’m sure you’re the most prepared among us right now,” the guy chuckled. “Can’t wait to see Jonathan?”

“You have no idea,” Will mumbled. Unlike his mother, he’d never gone to New York to visit his brother. That probably had something to do with the fact that she had also done it twice — once before Jonathan’s first year, and once to help him move in with Nancy, and both times had been during his school year.

“In that case, are you sure you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” The secret admirer whispered. “Should I leave now before you completely wake up?”

That was a very valid concern, since the cleric didn’t really have an answer for that either. On the one hand, he knew he was still tired, and could sleep for several more hours if necessary. On the other hand, the more this topic came up, the more restless he became. “Stay for a while,” he mumbled. “I’ll tell you to leave if I’m waking up. Just don’t talk about New York”.

“Alrighty then,” the admirer said softly. “You’ve had your days with each boy in the Party. Which one was your favorite?”

At this point, Will truly believed that there was some kind of trophy involving him, or some sort of competition among his three best friends. “I love them all,” he sighed. “They’re all so unique and special”. Each of those days had reflected each of his boys’ characteristics, such as Lucas’ romantic nature, or Dustin’s energetic personality, or Mike’s gentle and caring heart. Asking him to pick a favorite day would be the same as asking him to choose a favorite guy. If he’d been able to do that, his life would’ve been a lot simpler.

“That was very sweet of you,” the admirer chuckled, “but it didn’t answer my question”.

“It’s not a competition,” the brown-haired teen mumbled. “Each of you did a wonderful job in your own way, and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing”.  _ Not even the kisses _ . Even though he still felt incredibly bad about kissing his friends, those were also among the most amazing things that had ever happened to him.

“Alright, alright,” the mysterious guy hummed and pulled Will closer, resting the smaller boy’s head on his chest. “You should go back to sleep, though. It’s gonna be a long day”.

Part of the cleric wanted to point out that his admirer also had a long day in front of him, but the selfish part of him knew that the guy wouldn’t risk falling asleep in the same bed as him, and he didn’t want his admirer to leave just yet, so he just hummed softly and let the admirer’s heartbeats lure him back to sleep.

 

~~* *~~

 

When Will woke up at around 4am, it didn’t take long for him to learn that his friends had all been awake for a while now. Mike and Dustin had been on video call since 3am with Jane and Max, who were still awake because of the time zone difference. Lucas had also joined the girls sometime after that in making fun of the paladin and the bard for waiting until the last minute to pack. While the dungeon master looked fairly calm about his current situation, the curly-haired teen was running back and forth around his house, violently shoving clothes in his bag, and randomly throwing out curses whenever he remembered something he’d forgotten.

“So, why haven’t you two gone to sleep yet?” He asked in an amused tone. Even if it wasn’t  _ that _ late, it was still 1am in California, and the two girls were still wide awake.

“And miss the shit storm that’s Dustin?” Max fake gasped. “How  _ dare _ you suggest such a thing?”

“Hey!” The bard’s voice came from somewhere behind the camera. “I have ears, you know”.

“Because we  _ totally  _ didn’t want you to hear that,” the red-haired teen snorted.

“If you didn’t want this to happen, you should’ve packed yesterday like I told you to,” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Did you remember to pack your swimming trunks?” Mike asked with a smirk.

“What? What swimming trunks?” The blond teen was obviously freaking out again. “Why do we need swimming trunks? Where the fuck are my swimming trunks?”

“We don’t need swimming trunks, Dustin,” Will said, trying to keep himself from laughing. “Mike’s just messing with you”.

“You guys  _ might _ need swimming trunks,” Jane chimed in. “A giant wave might hit New York”.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘tsunami’,” Dustin reappeared, looking a little breathless, “and how are swimming trunks gonna help me in that case?”

“Just an example,” Jane stuck out her tongue.

“What about the Christmas present, guys?” Will asked.

This time, the dungeon master was the one reacting. “Shit! I knew I forgot something,” he cursed before disappearing from view.

“Hah!” Dustin exclaimed loudly as he continued packing.

Will wouldn’t have forgotten the presents, since he’d spent last night trying to hide them in his bag so that the boys wouldn’t accidentally see them — a feat that wasn’t too easy if he didn’t want to deform them. However, he wouldn’t have remembered to bring it up if it hadn’t been for his secret admirer’s gift. The guy had already left by the time the cleric had woken up, without forgetting to leave behind a cream-colored note and a red envelope. The envelope had piqued his curiosity, since the last time he’d gotten one had been the time they’d gone to the waterpark. Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to use tickets for something in Indiana if they went to New York. However, he’d still decided to pick up the note first, like he’d always done.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_You kept saying it wasn’t a competition, but I think it should’ve been. There should’ve been a competition to see who could make you the happiest person in the world. If anyone deserves anything like that, it’s you, and being able to make you happy should’ve been a privilege._ **
> 
> **_You might have some concerns regarding today’s gift. I promise that everything will work out in the end._ **
> 
> **_Have a great December 23rd, Will! Only 2 days to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **

 

He hadn’t shown it to the guys yet, but today’s gift was another ticket.

Well, not  _ just another ticket _ . It was a ticket for tonight’s 8pm show of  _ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child _ . In New York.

He had no idea what to think about this.

First of all, they had only planned to go to New York since the beginning of the month. Had the admirer bought this ticket after they’d made the plan, or had this trip been planned for longer than he’d thought?

Next, the drive to New York would take half a day. With pit stops and lunch stop, they wouldn’t be able to make it on time if they left after 6am. Sure, he could’ve asked them all to leave early, since apparently everyone was already up and ready, but that led to the last and most important issue.

There was only one ticket in the envelope. Sure, he knew this single ticket definitely cost more than those waterpark tickets combined, and he wouldn’t expect the admirer to buy tickets for their other friends either, but that didn’t mean he would be fine with going to the show alone. No matter how much he loved Harry Potter, the cleric wouldn’t abandon his friends on their first night in the Big Apple. This probably was the  _ concern _ that his admirer had mentioned, but he didn’t see how things could work out in the end. Surely the admirer wouldn’t be able to pay for everyone, but he also couldn’t go with Will alone without exposing himself.

He supposed he had to trust his admirer on this.

 

~~* *~~

 

Turned out, he didn’t need to tell the boys to leave sooner. Mike had grown restless after pacing around his house for about five minutes, and had suggested starting the trip early. The plan was to pick Will up first, since he needed to bring his plant to Lucas’ house, then stop by and help Dustin if the boy still hadn’t finished packing, before finally going to the ranger’s house to assign driving shifts. They had just arrived at Lucas’.

“A ticket to a play?” Dustin’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome!”

“Shut up, Dustin,” Lucas hissed. “It’s only 5am and my family is still asleep”.

“But that  _ is _ awesome,” Mike chuckled. “And not just  _ any _ play. I mean, it’s crazy to think that you’ll get to see  _ Cursed Child _ on your first night in New York”.

“Yeah, about that,” Will bit his lips nervously, “I’m not sure if I’ll go”.

He’d expected this reaction, but it was still slightly scary to see all three pairs of eyes on him like this.

“What?” The three said in unison, Lucas not even worrying about waking his family anymore.

“I mean, I love it,” Will quickly continued, “but I don’t want to go alone and leave you guys behind on our first night in New York”.

The boys frowned, but nobody said anything. He knew they wouldn’t have left anyone to do  _ anything _ alone either, no matter how much they liked to pretend they would.

“Did your admirer say anything about that?” Dustin asked.

“I think so?” The cleric said, a little unsure. “He said everything would work out, but he didn’t exactly mention what he was talking about”.

“Well, let’s trust your admirer, then,” Mike smiled. “I’m sure he won’t let you down”.

“Yeah,” Lucas nodded. “Maybe he’s gonna follow you and sit somewhere behind you”.

“He won’t do that,” the hazel-eyed teen shook his head. “He would have to expose himself if he did that. You guys would know, and I could find out too”. If there was one thing he could be sure about his admirer, it was that the guy wouldn’t risk it like that.

“Worst case scenario, I will go to wherever that is and buy a ticket for me as well,” Dustin said with a toothy grin. “I’m not letting you waste that gift”.

“Great plan, genius,” the ranger snorted. “I’m sure there will be  _ plenty _ seats left on the night before Christmas Eve”.

“Then I’ll buy it from someone at the door,” the curly-haired boy huffed. “I’ll find a way to get one, for Will. What’s  _ your _ plan?”

“ _ Not _ buying black market tickets or ending up getting caught?” The black teen scowled. “I don’t want to have to visit you in jail on Christmas”.

“Let’s just focus on getting to New York before the show begins first,” Mike sighed as the other two started bickering again. “I’m sure the admirer’s thought of something already”.

The cleric knew his friend was probably right, but since he couldn’t seem to find a solution for this, he couldn’t help but worry. Nonetheless, their dungeon master had a point. They still needed to get there first.

“How about this,” he cleared his throat, “each of us can take turns driving for two hours, which should leave us with four hours left. We can divide those four hours later”.

Since that sounded fairly reasonable, none of them had any objections. Dustin even patted him on the back as a ‘good job’.

“I’ll take the first turn,” Lucas announced. “You guys can rest up a bit first and switch with me later”.

“I call shotgun,” Mike shrugged before turning to Will and Dustin. “Then I’ll take the second shift so you two can rest for a little longer”.

“Fine by me,” the bard grinned. “I get to be with Will, after all”.

“No funny business,” the ranger waggled his finger at the blue-eyed teen.

“It’s 5 in the morning, Lucas,” Mike chuckled. “The worst thing he could possibly do is drool on Will”.

“Hey!”

 

~~* *~~

 

“—way later that our quarry is  _ way _ higher than his barren”.

Mike’s hushed voice woke Will up from his nap, but he didn’t want to open his eyes just yet. The cleric could tell from the brightness that the sun had already come up. He could also tell that he was leaning heavily on Dustin, whose breathing indicated that the boy was still sleeping peacefully.

“But even if he survived jumping off a cliff, did you seriously think following in your cousin’s footsteps was a good idea?” Lucas asked.

“Dustin looked terrified,” the paladin said. “What was I supposed to do? Wait for someone to show up and save us?”

“I bet he looked even more terrified when you jumped,” the ranger snorted. “I swear, if I let you guys wander off for half a day and you died, I would find a way to bring you back to life and kill you”.

The brown-haired teen knew exactly which event they were talking about. He didn’t like this story. None of them did. Mostly because of how it could’ve ended.

“Dramatic much?” Mike huffed. “If I had died, it would’ve been partly your fault too, you know? We would’ve been able to fend them off if you’d been there”.

“Sure, blame me for your actions,” Lucas mumbled, “as if I haven’t done that already”.

Everything turned awkwardly quiet so quick, Will thought the two would’ve noticed that he’d been awake from his breathing by now.

“Sorry,” Mike said sheepishly, “I didn’t—”.

“It’s okay,” the ranger cut his friend off, “I didn’t want you to know it then. That was just a puppy crush anyway”.

“What about now?” the dungeon master asked. “If you could erase my memory, would you erase that?”

There was another moment of awkward silence before Lucas replied. “Do you  _ want _ to not know that?”

“N-No, not at all,” Mike said a little too hastily. “I’m glad I know it now”.

“Well, I’m glad you know it, too, then,” the ranger chuckled.

It was such a sweet and private moment, the cleric almost felt bad for eavesdropping.  _ Almost _ . Mike’s next sentence made sure he didn’t have to.

“By the way, you  _ do _ realize Will has been awake for a while, right?” The paladin held back a snicker.

“Oh, totally,” Lucas snorted, and Will immediately scowled as he opened his eyes.  _ So they did notice _ .

“That’s not very nice,” the cleric huffed and glared at his friends. Lucas was still driving, and Mike was turning around to look at him from the passenger’s seat.

“What’s not nice?” The tallest teen shot him a grin. “Letting you think we didn’t notice?”

“Shut up,” the brown-haired boy mumbled before his eyes landed on the clock. They had been on the road for almost five hours. “Wait,” he frowned and turned to the ranger, “have you been driving nonstop?”

“Relax,” the other boy chuckled, “I drove for two hours, then Mike took the wheel for two more. We didn’t want to wake you guys up, so I’m taking another two. You can be next if you want”.

“I do,” Will nodded. “It’s your turn to rest now”.

 

~~* *~~

 

Dustin had woken up during Will’s turn — right when they were about to stop for lunch — and insisted on taking the wheel next, and Mike had insisted on taking the last shift and navigating through the concrete jungle of New York. They’d managed to find a parking spot, although not the most ideal one, since they had to walk for almost fifteen minutes back to the apartment that they’d be staying at.

Mrs. Wheeler’s friend had handed their key to Nancy, and the girl had assured the boys that she would be waiting for them at the apartment, so they wouldn’t have to drag their stuff around the city for too long. At the time, Will hadn’t minded carrying their luggage around, but now, seeing how long it could take them to even find a parking spot, he knew he should be grateful for Mike’s sister.

“I think we should take public transportation,” Dustin said as they walked into their apartment building and up the stairs. “I really don’t want to imagine losing a parking spot this  _ close _ to this place”.

“Stop being a baby already,” Lucas huffed. “You slept for more than half the trip. You have lots of energy to spare”.

“Doesn’t mean I like spending that energy dragging our stuff around,” the bard scowled.

“Well, Nancy said we could do that if we wanted to,” Mike shrugged. “She said, and I quote: ‘You nerds won’t have to walk for more than ten minutes’”.

Will didn’t mind public transportation. After all, they were in one of the greatest cultural hubs on the planet, and it would be better to experience it in the same way the locals did. “Good thing every phone works as a map nowadays,” he chuckled. “By the way, what’s the apartment number again?”

“It’s—”

“Jeez, I could hear you guys from half a mile away,” Nancy’s voice interrupted Mike’s sentence, and all four pairs of eyes immediately turned to the wide open apartment door where the paladin’s sister was standing, next to Will’s brother.

“Nancy!”

“Hey!”

“Jonathan!”

“Hi, guys!”

Will would’ve given Jonathan a hug, if he hadn’t been carrying a backpack  _ and _ a duffle bag for fifteen minutes. Instead, he settled for a warm smile as his brother gently punched him in the shoulder. Everyone exchanged greetings as the four boys quickly got inside the apartment and dropped their bags in the living room.

“So, how was the trip?” Nancy asked, which was apparently all Dustin had been waiting for.

“It was agonizing,” the curly-haired teen groaned. “We were in the car for twelve hours and—”

“You were asleep for more than half of it,” Lucas cut the other boy off.

“Which means I was awake for almost half the trip,” the bard retorted. “Plus, did you think sleeping in a car was comfortable?”

“I assumed it must’ve been for you,” the ranger rolled his eyes.

“Well, it wasn’t,” the blond teen huffed.

“At least you enjoyed the food we made,” Mike chuckled.

“Wait, what food?” Jonathan interrupted.

“Mike and I baked some—”

“God, not again,” Nancy groaned as soon as the cleric mentioned the word  _ ‘bake’ _ .

“We cleaned up,” Mike scowled. “It took like two hours but we cleaned up everything”.

“The fact that you made a huge enough mess that it took you two hours to clean up was exactly why I said ‘not again’”.

Will smiled softly as he watched the siblings bicker. Unlike he and Jonathan, that was apparently how the Wheelers — and the Sinclairs — bonded. Somehow, all his best friends seemed to prefer acting like they hated the ones they actually loved, with him being the only exception to that behavior. It was really endearing.

“So, Will,” Jonathan nudged him on the shoulder, “got any plans for tonight?”

The cleric’s heart skipped a beat at the question. He didn’t know if he had any plans for the night. Sure, he had the ticket to the play, but he didn’t want to go alone, and whatever magic the admirer had planned hadn’t happened. Also, to be able to explain the ticket to Jonathan, he’d need to tell his brother about the secret admirer, and that would be a long face-to-face conversation — one of the reasons why he still hadn’t said anything.

“Yeah, Jonathan,” the younger Byers bit his lips nervously, “I have something I need to tell you, but you should probably si—”

“Okay, dweebs,” Nancy’s booming voice interrupted the cleric, “Jonathan and I have something for you guys”.

The brown-haired teen sent a confused look at his brother, who just shook his head and smiled mysteriously.

“What is it?” Dustin immediately perked up. “Are you giving us a ‘welcome to New York’ gift or something?”

“Or something,” Jonathan agreed. “So, a little birdie asked us to get you guys something”.

“And just to be clear,” the older Wheeler held up a finger, “that  _ birdie _ promised that you guys would pay us back, so if you don’t, he’s gonna be in  _ so much _ trouble”. After making sure everyone got her point, she gave her boyfriend a nod, and the guy pulled out three tickets similar to the one Will had just received that morning.

“We were told that Will doesn’t need one,” Jonathan said vaguely, “so these are for Mike, Lucas, and Dustin”.

“Holy shit!” Lucas exclaimed.

“Is that—” Dustin couldn’t even finish his sentence.

“Oh fuck,” Mike cursed under his breath, “he really  _ did _ think of everything, didn’t he?”

To say that Will was flabbergasted would be a huge understatement. Out of all the possible scenarios that he’d thought of — which hadn’t been a lot anyway, the hazel-eyed teen had never considered that Nancy and Jonathan would be a part of the equation.

That also meant that his brother and his girlfriend knew. They probably even knew more than the cleric did. The two obviously knew about the ticket. They probably knew about the whole secret admirer thing. But most importantly, they definitely knew  _ who _ had asked them to buy the tickets in advance.

“Wait, so we have to  _ pay _ you for the tickets?” Dustin asked. “Can’t they just be Christmas presents or something?”

“Yes, you have to pay for the tickets, if you want to so much as touch them,” Nancy narrowed her eyes at the bard. “We’re still students. We don’t have  _ that _ kind of money to give you”.

“But who did—” Lucas tried.

“We were told that you might have some questions,” Jonathan interrupted. “We were also told to not answer anything until Christmas Day”.

“And normally I wouldn’t have agreed to this kind of thing,” Nancy said, “but this was actually really nice, so I won’t spoil anything”.

“Can’t you just pay for me?” Mike scowled. “I’m your brother, after all”.

“Listen up you twat—”

As Mike started to bicker with his sister once again, Will turned to his brother. “So, you know?”

“Know what?” Jonathan chuckled. “Know that my little brother has a secret admirer? Yes, I know”.

“And you’re okay with it?” The younger boy asked.

“Oh trust me,” Jonathan chuckled, “I’ve given him the third degree already, and if he  _ ever _ hurts you, he’s gonna regret it. But ultimately, you have chosen your friends wisely”.

He supposed he had. These three teens he’d been hanging out with were better than anything he’d hoped for, and he wouldn’t trade any of them for all the treasure in the world.

But this also reminded him of something. He had a hell of a brother.

“Thanks, Jonathan,” Will smiled softly and pulled his brother in for a hug. “You’re the best”.

“No problem, bud,” the older Byers chuckled. “Now I believe you have a play to go to with your spazzy friends”.

The cleric let out a laugh at that.

He still couldn’t believe that his admirer had roped his brother into this.

What an idiot.

Then again, all his friends were idiots.

But they were  _ his _ idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did this chapter answer some of your questions? Did it give you more questions that you can't answer? I'd love to hear about both.
> 
> Maybe you haven't thought about this before, but obviously the secret admirer had gotten help from others as well. Who else do you think knew about this, and how did they know? I'd love to hear your speculations as well.
> 
> Until next time.


	25. Monday, December 24th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> # APRIL FOOL!
> 
> ## If you came here because you thought there was a new chapter, congratulations, you have been pranked.
> 
> The real chapter will come out sometime later this week. Hopefully everyone will still be interested in this fic and nobody will have killed me by then.


	26. Monday, December 24th (For Real This Time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, and welcome back to the real update this week.
> 
> Hope none of you got too annoyed at my prank. If you were, too bad because I loved it :)
> 
> I hope this chapter will satisfy you somewhat. Enjoy!

A kiss on the forehead alerted Will of his admirer’s presence, just before he felt the guy moving away from his bed.

“No, stay,” the brown-haired teen mumbled. He was sleeping in a strange bed, staying in a strange apartment, visiting a strange city. It would be nice to have something, or someone familiar around when he was trying to go back to sleep.

After coming back from the play the previous night, it had taken the boys half an hour to decide who would sleep in which room. The apartment had a master bedroom, a kid’s room, and a guest room. It had taken a little convincing, because somehow the only thing the other three had all agreed on had been to let Will take one spot in the master bedroom, but the cleric had managed to get the kid’s room instead, since he was the only one who could comfortably sleep in a small bed. Furthermore, it was also the only room with a night lamp, which made it the best room for him to sleep in. An excessive amount of bickering later, they’d decided to draw for it, and Lucas had won himself the guest room. 

Despite having the most ideal room he could’ve asked for, it had still taken him quite some time to fall asleep the first time. However, he figured since the admirer had always radiated an air of serenity, the cleric would be able to get back to sleep easier with him around.

There was a short pause before the guy sat down on the bed. “Only for a little bit, okay?” He whispered softly. “The other two could wake up at any moment”.

“Okay,” Will mumbled. He didn’t want to expose the admirer anyway. If he was being honest, a part of him didn’t even want to know who the admirer was. That part of him wished things could stay exactly like they had been the past couple of days. As soon as the guy’s identity was revealed, things would undoubtedly change between them, and he didn’t know if he was ready for that.

The guy slowly lay down next to him and wrapped an arm around the smaller teen. “Trouble sleeping?” He asked gently.

“Only a little,” the cleric confessed. “How did you plan that?”

“Plan what?” The admirer asked in a teasing tone. The brown-haired teen was too tired to play along with this feigning ignorance act, so he just nuzzled his head against the mysterious guy.

“Oh,  _ that, _ ” his admirer fake-gasped. “Did you like the play? I really couldn’t tell from all the gasping and the clapping and the aw— Oof!”

The last sound was because of Will’s attempt to give the guy a ‘stop being a dick’ punch on the chest, but he was certain that was nothing more than a weak knock.

“Okay, fine,” the secret admirer chuckled. “Lots of luck, I guess. I would’ve tried to wake everyone up early to get here on time if you guys hadn’t been up already anyway, but it really was just dumb luck that I didn’t have to do that”.

The cleric certainly hadn’t meant that when he’d asked that question, but it had definitely answered some of his concerns, so he supposed that wasn’t a total loss. “I meant the whole ticket thing,” he said in a sleepy tone. “Did you know we’d be in New York?”

“Not really,” the guy mumbled. “I mean, in case you didn’t know, none of us would’ve gone if you hadn’t anyway, so the play was kind of a last minute idea”.

“So did you have something else planned in place of the ticket?”

“I did have a plan, yes,” his secret admirer hummed, “but it wasn’t a very good plan, so I’m glad I could give you that instead”.

“All your plans were great,” Will protested weakly.

“Trust me. Not  _ that _ one,” the admirer snorted.

“Did Jonathan help you with the camera as well?”

“I wish,” the secret admirer said softly. “I probably would’ve been able to get you a better camera if I’d asked him, but back then he wasn’t on the need-to-know basis”.

“Well, I love the one you got me,” the cleric slurred. He could feel himself slowly falling back to sleep.

“I’m glad you like it,” the admirer gently ran his fingers through the other teen’s hair. “I think it’s time you go back to sleep”.

Will nodded weakly as he drifted off to sleep. Somehow, in this messed up life, he’d managed to have a loving mom and a wonderful brother, five amazing friends with two badass girls and three idiotic boys, one of which was the sweet admirer who had made this month the best month of his life.

Suddenly, a thought popped up in his mind.

_ I want to kiss him once more. _

Ever since the hickey, the admirer had kept his distance. Sure, there were still the occasional kisses on the forehead, but they had never once kissed after that incident. His admirer had been a perfect gentleman, and although he loved that, the cleric also missed the feeling of the guy’s lips on his.

Maybe it was because that had been his last thought before he completely fell asleep, but the brown-haired teen dreamt of his admirer’s lips on his, of him wrapping his arms around the guy’s neck and running his hand through the admirer’s hair.

 

~~*~~

 

Hushed voices woke Will up that morning. Some of the boys, if not all of them, were probably bickering in the kitchen.

He wondered whether things would always be like this if they went to the same college in the future. All of them had applied to a bunch of different schools everywhere in the country, and the future could take them anywhere, but the brown-haired teen couldn’t help but imagine a world where they would be able to see each other at least once a week, or perhaps even share an apartment together.

As he grew up, his problems also changed with him, from trivial things like what snacks to get for a sleepover, to bigger, more important things like what he wanted to do in his life. However, there was one concern that had been with him since he was a little kid, and it was that he’d get separated from his friends. When he was little, his dad had always hated everything he liked. He’d never been able to keep any sets of crayons for more than a week, since Lonnie would’ve thrown them away almost immediately because ‘real boys don’t play with colors’. So, the little six-year-old Will Byers used to be afraid that one day, his dad would take him away to some kind of dungeon and lock him there forever so he wouldn’t do that, and he wouldn’t be able to see Mike anymore until the raven-haired boy came to his rescue. Then when he got older, his mom finally got her kids out of his father’s grasp and he got introduced to the concept of child custody, when Dustin’s parents decided to get a divorce, the thought that his curly-haired friend would be taken away had kept him awake almost every night, and he’d always tried to call his friend on their walkie talkies just to hear the other boy’s voice. Not to mention the countless times he’d almost been taken away by the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer, the Upside Down in general, and the people from the lab who thought he was either a threat or an experiment. That fear hadn’t always been there, but it had never really gone away either, and now, as they got closer and closer to graduating, it was back.

Of course, he knew that statistically, the chance of any three of them being able to see each other every week were quite slim, let alone all six Party members, but an extremely selfish part of him had always hoped that even if the six of them couldn’t be together, then at least the four boys could. He hated that part, though, since that was the irrational part that had hoped that his best friends would choose him instead of their respective girlfriends before he’d learned about their breakups. Even now, he still had a feeling he was an evil dragon of some sort, wanting to hoard the best treasures he could find. If his secret admirer learned about this, the guy would be so disappointed in him.

Speaking of his admirer, the guy had left another cream-colored note on his nightstand, next to a small box in the familiar red wrapping with sky blue polka dots, small enough to fit the palm of his hand. Since the size of the box was the same as at least half of the presents in the world, there was no point in guessing before reading the note anyway, so the cleric picked up the piece of paper.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I know you don’t see yourself the way the rest of us see you, so I’m gonna say it again (and again if you need me to): you are the most amazing person I’ve ever known. You’re beautiful both on the outside and on the inside, and never let anyone, not even yourself, tell you otherwise._ **
> 
> **_I really hope today’s gift will remind you every day how amazing you are. Without you, the world wouldn’t be the same. Hell, without you I don’t think the world would exist right now. I know my world wouldn’t._ **
> 
> **_It’s already December 24th. Are you excited? I know I am. I’m fucking nervous too but let’s concentrate on the excitement only._ **
> 
> **_One final day to go._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **
> 
> **_P.S: You don’t have to ask me that when you’re basically 90% asleep. I’ll gladly do it when you’re 100% awake as well._ **

 

As usual, that note left Will with a bright red face.

_ Wait. What does ‘as well’ mean? _

Had his dream not been a dream after all? Had that actually happened?

Also, how would he ask his admirer  _ anything _ if he didn’t know who the guy was? What had his admirer been thinking? That Will would just walk up to one of his friends and go ‘hey can I kiss you’ in front of them, hoping on that one-third chance that he’d get the right one? Who in their right mind would even do that?

He could hear the voices in the kitchen a little better now, and he could make out Mike and Dustin’s conversation. However, his attention was currently back on the small package on the nightstand. Unlike most cases, this time as he picked the gift up, the cleric had absolutely no idea what could possibly fit in a three by three box that would remind him of how _ amazing _ he was, as the admirer had put it, since of those two sets, one contained most gifts in the world, and the other had absolutely no members whatsoever.

Well, apparently, there was something in the latter category after all.

Inside the box was a small keychain figurine that was about two inches tall. The figure was humanoid, with purplish-blue skin, a bulbous head with four tentacles surrounding its maw like Davy Jones in those  _ Pirates of the Caribbean _ movies, and four claw-like fingers on each hand. The creature was dressed in a black regal robe that very much screamed  _ supreme ruler. _

Will knew too well what the creature was.

An  _ Illithid _ — a monster from one of his childhood games. It was a carnivorous aberration from the subterranean realm Underdark. Lawful evil. Illithids considered themselves to be above other life forms, and sought power and dominance over all species in the multiverse.

_ Commonly known as Mind Flayers, _ the cleric’s brain provided.

His admirer had given him a Mind Flayer keychain.

_ ‘I really hope today’s gift will remind you every day how amazing you are’ _ was what his admirer had written. And he supposed he could see what the guy was trying to say. While with the Demogorgon, all he’d done had been running, hiding, and waiting for someone to come and rescue him, he’d had a more  _ active _ role in fighting the Mind Flayer. He’d played a crucial part in saving Jim and providing the Party the information on how to defeat the evil entity.  _ Superspy, _ as Mike had dubbed him years ago. Of course, the Mind Flayer had also used his body to kill countless people including his mom’s then-boyfriend Bob, but thanks to the collective effort of everyone around him reminding him that just because it had been his body didn’t mean it had been him, the brown-haired teen had significantly toned down the self-blaming thoughts.

He knew what this keychain  _ could’ve _ represented. He also knew what the admirer wanted it to represent, and that was what he’d let it represent. He could hear his secret admirer say it to him.  _ You are strong. You are tough. You keep fighting till the end and win even if it’s against an interdimensional autocrat. _ He might not believe every word of that just yet, but he knew the keychain would remind him of it every day until he did.

 

~~*~~

 

The first thing Will saw as he walked into the kitchen was the burnt pancakes, which was quite a surprise, since both Mike and Dustin were better cooks than that. “Morning,” he greeted.

“Morning Will!” Dustin said with a cheerful voice.

“Hey,” Mike smiled and sent him a look that said  _ ‘I’ve been dealing with this for the entire morning’. _

His two friends still had the bedroom hair, but that was the only thing they had in common. Unlike Mike, Dustin looked wide awake and was wearing an apron as he poured a new batch of pancake batter onto one of the two pans he was using, and unlike Dustin, Mike’s face wasn’t decorated with dried batter here and there, something Will was certain was the work of the paladin messing around, as were the burnt pancakes. Nonetheless, the kitchen didn’t look like a hurricane had swept through it, and the cleric would count that as a success any day.

“I’m guessing Lucas is still asleep?” Will asked as he sat down at the kitchen counter.

“He  _ did _ stay up the whole ride yesterday,” Mike shrugged.

“He could’ve taken a nap,” Dustin snorted, “not to mention, you also stayed up the whole time if I remember correctly”.

“As if  _ any _ of us could take a nap when you were up,” the taller teen rolled his eyes. “And I wouldn’t have woken up if you hadn’t”.

“Are you calling me loud, Wheeler?” The bard glared. “And nobody stopped you from going back to sleep”.

“Just stating the truth,” the raven-haired teen said nonchalantly. “And  _ someone _ had to be here to stop you from eating pancake batter”.

“Wait, Dustin, what?” Will interrupted. “You ate pancake batter? You know that’s bad for you, right?” Maybe Mike hadn’t been the cause of the things on Dustin’s face after all.

“I only had a little,” the curly-haired teen narrowed his eyes at the dungeon master before turning to the brown-haired boy. “It was too good to not have some”.

“Dustin!” The cleric said exasperatedly. “You could get salmonella”.

“Exactly what I said,” Mike said tiredly. “Didn’t stop him until I brought up how sad you’d be if he couldn’t join us—”

“Which was really manipulative of you, by the way,” the blond teen grumbled.

“Well, of course I’d be sad,” Will said, trying to ignore the faint blush that was threatening to appear on his cheeks. “I wanna explore New York with all of you”. If he was being honest, had any of his friends gotten sick, he would’ve volunteered to stay behind and take care of them, since there was no way he could enjoy sightseeing when someone he cared about needed help.

“Now move your ass,  _ Dusty, _ ” the paladin said as he put on a pair of oven mitts, “the bacon is ready”.

“Call me that once more and I  _ will _ hit you with this hot pan,” the bard grumbled but moved away nonetheless.

“You’ve said that five times already,” Mike chuckled, “except the first time the pans weren’t even hot yet”.

“Oh, so you don’t think I’ll do it?” Dustin glared as he hovered the pan above the dungeon master.

Will smiled softly as he turned around and grabbed the plates for Mike. At first, he was surprised that the pancakes were burnt at all, but after seeing the kind of distraction they were causing each other, he thought it was a miracle that they were only slightly burnt. The bard was also finishing the last of the batter, so breakfast was pretty much ready.

“I’ll get these,” he said as he took the pans from the curly-haired teen and put it in the sink. He was the type to wash things as soon as possible so there wouldn’t be too much in the sink after a meal.

“I’m also done,” Mike said as he approached Will with the empty bacon tray. “Dustin, do you mind waking Lucas up for us?”

“Actually, Mike, can you do that for me? Please?”

The last  _ ‘please’ _ got the cleric’s attention. It would’ve been understandable if Dustin had just been lazy and hadn’t wanted to walk to Lucas’ room, but he wouldn’t have said that if that had been the case. As the brown-haired teen turned around, he caught his two friends having a silent conversation.

That was one of the things he loved about Mike, but right now it was causing him trouble. Somehow, they all could communicate wordlessly  _ if _ they did it with the dungeon master, but without the raven-haired boy, the rest of the group could stare at each other for half an hour without understanding a single word the other person was trying to say. It was kind of a  _ Mike _ thing, and right now Mike was using that to say something to Dustin that Will couldn’t understand.

The conversation ended when Mike rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine,” he said and walked away, “but no funny business”.

“Depends on how long you’ll be gone for,” Dustin grinned and turned back to Will. “Anyway, although it was really nice of Nancy and Jonathan to go grocery shopping for us, this won’t last for a whole week. We’re gonna need to buy something after Christmas”.

As much as the cleric wanted to know what the other two’s conversation was about, it was clear that the bard didn’t want to bring it up. The shorter boy sighed and reluctantly agreed to this topic change, as he talked about the convenient stores he’d spotted yesterday.

 

~~*~~

 

“So, how long have you known about the admirer?” Will asked.

“I believe it was the day after you guys decided to come here,” Jonathan chuckled.

“So you’ve known for more than three weeks?” The younger Byers asked incredulously.

They were currently sitting on a bench in Central Park, with Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Nancy not far from there. Their afternoon activity included going on a walk in the most visited urban park in the United States and taking random photos using Jonathan’s camera. After almost a hundred photos or so, Will figured he could use a break while his three idiots tried to include the pigeons in their photos.

“Hey, don’t point your finger at me," his brother shook his head, “you never mentioned having a secret admirer either”.

“It was a huge thing,” the cleric huffed, “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone. Plus, I thought it was a prank at first”.

“A prank?” Jonathan snorted. “Was it  _ that _ difficult to believe that someone actually has feelings for my sweet little brother?”

“Well, I mean, kind of?” Will scrunched his nose. “Nobody had  _ ever _ shown interest me before. I didn’t even know my friends knew I was gay”.

“But have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt unloved?”

The shorter boy took a quick glance at his friends. Lucas was helping a distraught Mike untangle a pigeon from his hair, while Dustin was keeping his distance from them as the curly-haired teen pointed Jonathan’s camera at the duo. Nancy was standing behind the blue-eyed boy with a disapproving look, but said nothing as the bard took photo after photo of the incident. Everything was rather chaotic, but Jonathan had assured Will earlier that it was far from the craziest thing his brother had witnessed in New York, and sadly he could also confirm that it wasn’t the craziest thing the Party had done either.

And despite all the crazy things that had happened to their group, or maybe  _ because _ of all the crazy things that had happened, the Party had been an inseparable force to be reckoned with. They had shown all the evil entities in every dimension that it would be unwise to mess with them. Will had never felt alone or helpless in their little group, because he knew his friends would always be there for him when he needed them. And granted, there had been times when some Party members hadn’t been the friendliest towards others, but that had never happened to him. He’d never felt more loved surrounded by his family and his friends.

Therefore, to answer Jonathan’s question, no, he hadn’t. Although he didn’t really need to say it out loud, since his brother wasn’t expecting an answer anyway.

“To be honest, at first I had no idea how you could possibly not know who your secret admirer was,” the taller Byers said, and Will turned back only to see that his brother had also focused on his best friends. “But I can see why now”.

“Because they’re all my best friends and there’s no way any of them could be the admirer?” Will asked, looking a little confused.

The look Jonathan was giving him, one would think he’d just grown a second head or something. His brother kept that look for several seconds before switching to an amused look. “Never mind,” he said vaguely.

“What are you not telling me?” The shorter Byers frowned.

“You’ll know tomorrow anyway, won’t you?” The young adult chuckled.

Will huffed. Just because he’d know soon, didn’t mean he liked it when his brother acted like that.

“Wait! No! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Dustin’s voice made the cleric immediately turn to its source, as the bard was pinned down to the ground and tickled mercilessly by both the paladin and the ranger. The older Wheeler was standing not too far from them, trying to hold back a laugh as she took several pictures of her brother and his friends.

The brown-haired teen let out a soft chuckle as he stood up and headed towards his friends.  _ These idiots. _ He really couldn’t leave them alone for five minutes.

 

~~*~~

 

“We’re already staying in the same apartment, Dustin,” Mike said, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” the curly-haired teen complained.

“We do know it,” Lucas sighed, “and the question still remains. What’s the point in having a  _ sleepover _ then?”

Shortly after they’d come back from dinner at Nancy and Jonathan’s, the bard had suggested they have a Christmas Eve sleepover, which, in this case, Will assumed would require them dragging their mattresses to either the living room or the master bedroom, and spending the night together that way. He didn’t have anything against that idea, but he had no idea why they should do that either.

“Because,” the bard rolled his eyes, “this might be the last time we get to have a sleepover as four attractive single people”.

The cleric knew that statement shouldn’t have taken him by surprise, but it had. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks as he thought about how in less than twenty-four hours, he would probably have  _ a boyfriend  _ already.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but he has a point,” the paladin shrugged.

The blue-eyed teen immediately scowled. “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Alright, sleepover it is, then,” Lucas chuckled. “But we’re not gonna huddle up like we did at Will’s this time”.

The brown-haired boy turned to his friend with a quizzical look. “Why not?” He didn’t think the ranger minded the cuddling at all, so that was a surprise for him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” The black teen rolled his eyes. “This is the final night. Your secret admirer might have some kind of grand plan going on. I don’t think you’d want to ruin his plan by stacking half of us on top of him”.

“Hey!” Dustin punched the raven-haired boy on the shoulder. “What are you implying, Sinclair?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lucas smirked. “But let’s go grab the mattresses”.

As if on cue, Mike and Lucas each headed towards one of the smaller bedrooms, leaving a still slightly confused Will and an indignant Dustin behind. “Let’s go help them,” the bard grumbled before following the two, and the cleric hummed in agreement as he headed back to his bedroom to help Mike with the mattress.

Half an hour later, they were all lolling around the master bedroom. Mike and Will were sitting on Lucas’ mattress, bumping shoulders back and forth, while the black boy was sprawled out on the cleric’s, and Dustin was dangling his head off of the bed.

“So, what’s the sleeping arrangement tomorrow?” Lucas asked out of the blue, and the other three pairs of eyes immediately turned to him. “Should Will and the admirer take this room?”

Will’s cheeks heated up at the question. He hadn’t thought about that.

“Oh, so  _ you _ can leave more hickeys on him?” Dustin snorted. “I don’t think so”.

“For the last time, Dustin,” the ranger groaned, “I’m not the admirer”.

“Exactly what the admirer would say,” the curly-haired teen remarked.

“So what would  _ you _ say then?”

“That was different,” the bard scowled.

“Guys,” Mike said exasperatedly, “I’m not saying Will shouldn’t take this room, but I know I can’t fit in Will’s bed”.

“Maybe you won’t have to,” Lucas said with a meaningful look.

“Wait, so you think  _ I’m _ the admirer?” The paladin rolled his eyes.

“All I know is I’m not,” the black teen shrugged. “But about the room thing, I may have a solution”. When he got the attention of the rest of them, the boy continued. “My bed isn’t that big, but I think two people can still fit in it if one is Will and they cuddle”.

“So it  _ is _ you,” the blue-eyed teen huffed.

“Okay, one more last time, then, Dustin—”

“Who do you want it to be, Will?” Mike asked softly. Immediately, all three pairs of eyes turned to the brown-haired teen.

He looked down to his hands bashfully, avoiding making eye contact with any of his friends. “I’m not telling you guys that”.

“But you’ve thought about it?” The bard asked.

“Of course I have,” Will rolled his eyes. “I’ve received 24 gifts in a row this month. I have around fifty questions about this admirer already”.

“Fair point,” Lucas chuckled. “So who do you think it is?”

The cleric scowled. “I just told you I’m not gonna—”

“Technically, that was a different question,” Dustin grinned. “But why can’t you tell us then?

“Because it’s gonna be awkward,” the cleric said exasperatedly. “Whatever the question is, if I say a name, and it’s not the admirer, then one of you will be hurt because he’s done all of this for nothing, one of you will feel awkward because I will have told you that I think about you in a more-than-friends way, and one of you will have this story to laugh at for years”.

Silence washed over the three as they took in what the hazel-eyed teen had just said.

“Wow, you’ve really thought about it, haven’t you?” Mike asked softly.

“Of course I have,” Will sighed.

“And you still thought wrong,” the bard snorted, and the cleric looked up quizzically as the two other teens nodded in agreement.  _ What? _

“Look, Will,” Lucas cleared his throat, “if the person you name isn’t the admirer, then I assure you he’ll only feel flattered that you thought he could pull all of this off. It only shows how highly you think of him”.

“And I’m pretty sure the admirer said he didn’t do this to win you over,” Dustin chimed in. “He kept saying he wanted you to be happy, so are you happy right now?”

The brown-haired boy felt his cheeks heating up at the question.  _ Am I happy? _ He closed his eyes and thought about the last month, about how each of the gifts he’d received had brought him warmth, support, laughter, comfort, and everything good in the world, about how he had five wonderful and supportive friends, a loving brother, and an amazing mom. He thought about all the things he’d gone through and how it had made him stronger and tougher. The answer was quite obvious.

“Yeah, I am,” he smiled softly at his friends.

“Then I think the admirer has succeeded,” the bard gave him one of his grins that could light up the whole city.

“And I know we like to make fun of each other,” Mike said softly, “but I guarantee you, none of us would  _ ever _ make fun of anyone if that happened. We all secretly love each other, after all”.

“Aw,  _ Mikey, _ did you just admit that you love us?” Lucas snickered.

“Speak for yourself,” Dustin snorted. “I only tolerate the two of you”.

“Like the way Mike tolerates Max?” The ranger’s grin only got wider.

“Stop calling me out, asshole,” the dungeon master huffed and threw a pillow at his friend.

“But Will,” the bard turned back to him, “who do you think will make you the happiest?”

The cleric groaned and fell back on the mattress. “Right now? Whoever drops this topic first”.

“Okay, fine,” the blue-eyed teen chuckled. “I can take a hint”.

“Can you really?” The paladin snorted. “Because I’m pretty su—”

“You know what, Mike? I’m gon—”

Will loved these idiots, and he never wanted these moments to change.

Maybe it wouldn’t.

Maybe it would.

He could only hope that if that was the case, it would change for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think about this chapter? Like it? Hate it? Let me know in the comment section below.
> 
> Has this chapter messed with any of your predictions? What do you think would be the endgame? I'd like to know about your theories as well.
> 
> This was the last day before the admirer came out to Will, and you've seen all 24 gifts. Which one was your favorite, and why? I'd like to hear that as well.
> 
> Finally, which day was your favorite so far, and which day was your least? Let me know about that as well.
> 
> Until next weekend.


	27. Christmas Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone and welcome to another chapter of Dear Will!
> 
> Hope you guys are as excited as I am for this chapter. The 25th. Christmas Day. The day the admirer comes out to Will and everyone.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Will was a little disappointed when he woke up alone in his bed.

Obviously, he hadn’t expected to wake up in his admirer’s arms or anything, but he  _ had _ gone to sleep next to Mike, after all.

Once again, his friends had mutually agreed that he would take one spot on the bed. After a very intense game of drawing matches, or as intense as it could possibly be for such an activity, the paladin had ‘won’ the other spot, as his other two friends had called it. Lucas hadn’t seemed to mind that too much, but the cleric had noticed his curly-haired friend acting a little weird about that, before being pulled away by the black boy for a ‘private conversation’. Perhaps this whole secret admirer situation had made the blue-eyed teen wary of the other two, but Will’s gut had reminded him of Dustin’s weird behavior before breakfast, and that could’ve been the cause as well. 

Either way, the blond boy had acted somewhat relaxed again after that — enough to be the first one to fall asleep sometime after 11pm. Lucas had also dozed off shortly after, with his arm under the bard’s head, and the cleric might or might not have taken a picture of that cute little scene. He and Mike had stayed up really late, exchanging whispers and giggles and hushed conversations like they’d always done as kids. They’d gone on and on about anything and everything, discussing their opinions on things in real life — like what they thought about a certain scene in  _ Cursed Child _ — to scenarios they would never experience in a million years — like who their godly parents would be if they were all demigods, talking about the past — such as their childhood memories — and the future — like how they both wished the rest of the Party could go to the same college.

Will didn’t really know what time he’d dozed off, but he knew it was really,  _ really _ late. He remembered talking to Mike for hours after the other two had gone to sleep. Partly, it was because the paladin was extremely easy to talk to, and they had exchanged whispers under their blankets since kindergarten. But also, the brown-haired teen had had a difficult time falling asleep because of how excited he was. He was certain that nobody in the world, man or child, could be more excited about Christmas Day than he was this particular year. That was probably why he was waking up at 9.20 in the morning instead of 7am like usual. Next to the alarm clock on the nightstand was a red envelope and a note. However, since it wasn’t the usual cream-colored note that he’d been getting, and he didn’t think his admirer would forget bringing the paper considering how he’d gotten one the day before, this note was probably not from the guy. The cleric decided to pick that up first, and was met with Lucas’ handwriting.

 

**_Mike said you didn’t sleep until 2am so we didn’t want to wake you up._ **

**_Plus, Jonathan has given us strict instructions to leave you alone and meet him and Nancy at their apartment. I guess your secret admirer has something big planned out for you._ **

**_We did make breakfast for you before leaving. Nothing is burned._ **

**_Lucas, Mike, and Dustin._ **

 

That explained the quiet apartment he’d woken up to. There was absolutely no way for his three idiots to be in the same apartment without him hearing them. Checking his phone, aside from all the  _ Merry Christmas _ texts from his mom and Jim, Jane, Max, and Steve, Will saw a message from his brother about how the guy  _ had a feeling _ he had some other plans before joining the rest of the group, as if the hazel-eyed teen didn’t know who Jonathan’s source was. He sent a thumbs up emoji back to let everyone know he’d woken up, and also because his brother had told him to remember to bring the presents.

His eyes then traveled back to the plain scarlet envelope on the bedside table. He’d seen the envelope multiple times by now, most recently on Sunday, but this one had something that hadn’t been on either one with the tickets — his name neatly written in metallic gold ink. The only other time that red envelope had his name on it was on the first day, when he’d gotten the first letter from his admirer. The brown-haired teen thought it was kind of fitting how this would end the same way it started. The answer to all the questions he’d been asking himself the last month was in that envelope, and all he had to do was reach out and take it.

_ So why haven’t I? _

Will was dying to know who it was, that was true. However, he was also nervous to find out as well. Once he knew, that would be it. There was no way to unlearn that.  _ What if I mess up and it doesn’t work out between us? What if we can’t be friends again? _ He really didn’t want to risk his friendship with any of the boys like that. It would probably kill him if he ever stopped being friends with any of them.  _ Maybe I can pretend I didn’t see it? Maybe I accidentally burned the envelope? Maybe a cockamouse flew in and took it? _

But he knew he couldn’t avoid this. He owed that much to his secret admirer. The boy had gone to so much trouble for this, not to mention it took a kind of bravery he didn’t have to confess one’s feelings. He needed to give his admirer the respect the guy deserved. That was the right thing to do.

After taking a deep breath, the cleric slowly reached for the envelope and opened it. Inside was a rather long letter.

 

> **_Dear Will,_ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_Thank you so much for letting me do this. Thank you for putting up with my midnight break-ins, and for never locking the window after the first night. Thank you for all the kind words you’ve said about me in front of everyone. But most importantly, thank you for never coming to me and asking if I was the admirer. I wouldn’t have been able to lie to you if you had._ **
> 
> **_The last 24 days have been amazing. It’s been better than even my wildest dreams. I certainly hadn’t expected things to escalate that much at night, and no matter what the outcome of this will be, I really hope you won’t hold it against me._ **
> 
> **_You are a wonderful person. You’re amazing both on the outside and the inside. I know this may sound repetitive to you, but I just have to say it again. You’re sweet, gentle, caring, and you always put others’ happiness before yours. But at the same time, you’re incredibly strong, brave, and totally able to take care of yourself. That doesn’t mean everyone else doesn’t want to take care of you, though. Your family, your friends, and I, all want to protect you and keep you from getting hurt, whether it’s from Troy or an interdimensional monster. That’s why I know I’m gonna hate myself when I ask you to do this for me._ **
> 
> **_Will, do you remember the questions from last night? I want you to answer them truthfully before I come out to you. I know you don’t want to do this, I know you might even hate me for making you do this, but I really need to know the answer. This will be the only thing I ask of you. Before we meet today, please write down the answers to these questions somewhere._ **
> 
> **_Who do you think it is?_ **
> 
> **_Who do you most want it to be?_ **
> 
> **_Who will make you the happiest?_ **
> 
> **_This is probably the most difficult thing anyone has ever asked of you, but I can’t be with you without knowing the answer to all these questions. Like I’ve said before, I just want you to be happy, and I don’t mind if I’m not the one giving you that. You’re the most selfless person I know, so for once, I hope you can be selfish and tell me what you want instead of what you think other people want._ **
> 
> **_When you’re done with that, and I know you will do it no matter how difficult it is, meet me in Central Park at noon. I’ll be waiting for you at that bench you sat with Jonathan yesterday. Hope I’ll see you there._ **
> 
> **_Merry Christmas, Will, and be true to yourself. Remember, there are no wrong answers._ **
> 
>  
> 
> **_I love you,_ **
> 
> **_Your Secret Admirer._ **
> 
> **_P.S: This is the last time I’m signing as that._ **

 

Will didn’t know what he’d expected to find inside the envelope. Maybe a piece of paper with a single name on it. Maybe a photo of one of his friends. He certainly hadn’t expected a long ass letter with the instruction to go to a place  _ after _ he answered the three questions he’d been avoiding.

It was definitely not too late to pretend he hadn’t read the letter. He could think of several easier ways to find out who the secret admirer was, such as going to Jonathan and Nancy’s at noon to see who wasn’t there. That was obviously easier than doing what the letter had told him to do. However, he knew, just as the admirer knew he’d hate this task, or as his friends knew he wouldn’t have tried to wake up at midnight during the admirer’s visits, that he wouldn’t do any of the  _ easier _ ways that he could think of. He’d never sabotaged the admirer’s plan before, and he wasn’t gonna start now, because he knew how important this was to the guy.

He just needed to have breakfast first.

 

~~~~

 

An hour and a half later, Will had finished his breakfast, taken a shower, carefully put all the presents he’d give everyone inside a paper bag, and taken a second shower just because. He would’ve taken a third one, if he hadn’t accepted that there was something he needed to do first.

He’d gotten a post-it sheet and a pen, and had carefully written down the three questions. That alone had been one of the most stressful things he’d done all month, next to coming out to his friends. However, he knew that had been the easier part of this task. The difficult part was writing down a name. Of course he’d thought about those questions before, and of course he had the answers, but having the answers inside his head and writing them down were two different things. If they were still in his head, he could always change them later, but once they were on paper, that would be final. There would be no fixing or changing his mind on the go.

The cleric sat down and thought about the information he’d gathered so far, trying to figure out who his admirer was. The easy part was what his admirer had said from the notes — he even had those notes right there in the apartment, but he’d already gone through them enough times to memorize everything. Not even the handwriting told him anything about the boy. The more difficult part was trying to remember all the things his friends had done in the last 24 days. He knew he didn’t have a photographic memory, but if he could remember something that had stood out, something abnormal in his friends’ behavior, maybe with his current knowledge, he’d be able to connect the dots. And then there was the most difficult part of all — remembering his conversations with his secret admirer. If trying to remember the things he’d seen and heard while awake had been difficult, then trying to recall his nightly conversations with the admirer had been impossible. That was the most infuriating part of all, since he  _ knew _ he was talking to his admirer then. Only if the boy had said something that would expose his identity, or if he could just recognize that voice, that scent, or the feeling of those lips. But every time, and he did mean  _ every time _ he thought about his half-asleep conversations, there was always this thick veil blocking his mind, preventing him from getting to the thing he needed the most. If he knew that information, he could tailor his answers to make the admirer happy. Or he could just write down three different answers for each of them. That would definitely make the guy— 

_ Happy _ .

The word stopped Will in his tracks.

_ ‘I just want you to be happy’. _

His secret admirer had written that at least three times now.

This was about  _ his _ happiness. The secret admirer had told him to be selfish for once. The whole point was about being true to his heart, no matter how Disney-princessy that sounded. If he cheated, or if he lied and tried to tailor the answer to be what he thought his admirer wanted to hear, would the guy be happy when he found out?

_ No. _

The mysterious admirer was right. This would be the most difficult thing anyone had ever asked of him. Hell, it was probably the most difficult thing he’d ever done, the Upside Down be damned.

Will exhaled slowly and started writing.

The answers were already there.

He just had to finalize them.

 

~~~~

 

He sat down on the bench with 10 minutes to spare.

The brown-haired teen would’ve gotten there sooner, if he hadn’t been too nervous and turned right where he should’ve turned left. If he hadn’t left the apartment extra early and had missed his admirer instead, he would never forgive himself.

The boy looked around once more to make sure he’d arrived at the correct spot. He could see the spot where Mike and Lucas had stood to feed the pigeons on his left, and the pile of snow on his right where the aforementioned two had tackled Dustin down was still a huge mess. The view from where he was sitting wasn’t exactly spectacular, but it was mesmerizing in its own way. That had been why Will had tried to memorize everything, so he could draw them later when he was free, and that was why he could be a hundred percent sure he was sitting on the right bench right now.

Eight more minutes until noon. The cleric reached inside his pocket and took out the post-it note that had the answers he needed to write down.

 

**_Who do you think it is? Lucas_ **

**_Who do you most want it to be? Mike_ **

**_Who will make you the happiest? Dustin_ **

 

That was it. The final answers. There was no way to change it now. That was the one and only piece of paper he’d brought with him here.

Will’s hands were a little shaky as he folded the note neatly and put it back inside his pocket. The little three-by-three piece of paper felt a lot heavier because of the words it carried.

The first question had been the easiest one to answer, and the only easy one to answer. Who did he think it was? Who else but the most romantic guy in the world, the one who always came up with all the big gestures? The ranger was literally the only one in their Party who came from a family with two loving parents, and the Sinclairs had taught him everything about how to express his feelings. If someone asked Will which Party member was most likely to stand on the cafeteria table and sing his feelings to the boy or girl of their dreams, he wouldn’t hesitate to pick the guy. So why should it be a different answer for another grand gesture? Plus, Lucas had taken him to  _ Lovers’ Lake _ after all. That was probably as close as a sign as he could get.

The other two questions hadn’t been as simple as that first one. For instance,  _ ‘who do you most want it to be?’ _ He wanted all three of them equally, so it was impossible for him to pick the one he wanted it to be the most. However, one of the boys was definitely the one he’d wanted for the longest. He’d had a crush on Mike for as long as he could remember. He’d been in love with Mike since before he even knew what love was. Hell, he was sure ever since that very first moment, when that shy kid approached him on the swings, he’d already fallen for the raven-haired dork. Therefore, if he could gather every William Byers from high school, middle school, primary school, and kindergarten together and ask them to vote, Mike would win by a landslide. However, he remembered that when this whole admirer thing had first started, Mike had been quite critical of the admirer, calling him a  _ coward _ all the time. Therefore, it couldn’t be him.

The final question had been the most difficult to answer, but he’d made up his mind. The one who would make him the happiest was Dustin. That was just how Dustin was. This wasn’t the kind of happiness he’d get when finding out that someone was the secret admirer. He would die of happiness if  _ any _ of his friends showed up at all. This  _ happiness _ was the way Dustin always chose to talk about whatever problems there were, and the way he always kept his cool head. It was the way Dustin forced Mike and Lucas to put aside their problems and come together to protect Jane, as well as find him. It was the way Dustin apologized to Lucas and gave the teen his blessing when the ranger was trying to win Max over, despite the bard’s feelings for his best friend. Like all of them, the blue-eyed teen wasn’t perfect, but he was always the one to make the first move to try and mend things, and in the long run, that was the most important thing in keeping a happy relationship. However, if it had been the curly-haired boy, he wouldn’t have bugged Will incessantly about what he and the admirer had done each night, up to the point where the rest of the Party got annoyed and banned him from asking about it multiple times a day.

Four more minutes to go, and Will was getting antsy. What if the admirer didn’t like those answers? What if he was expecting a single name for all those questions? What if they got together and things didn’t work out? What if their friends disapproved of their relationship?

Two more minutes to go. The cleric had never felt a bigger urge to bolt — not even when he was in the Upside Down or when he was hunted by the Mind Flayer. He could leave this bench right this moment and pretended that he got lost. It wouldn’t be the first time he got lost somewhere, if he was being honest with himself.

What was he even thinking? That he would just sit here, and when the clock struck, his admirer would magically appear in front of him? Or that the guy had been hiding behind him all this time and was just waiting for that moment to say—

“Hey, Will”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you didn't think I wouldn't do a cliffhanger :) It should've been totally expected with a fic like this and with someone like me :) Who wants to murder me? Lol.
> 
> Did I just eliminate Lucas from the race? Will it be Mike or Dustin? Or was it just a red herring and will it actually be Lucas after all?  
> Or will it be all three of them?
> 
> Tell me what you think, because there's definitely a big reveal next week! Until then.


	28. I Love You, My Secret Admirer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Midweek update!
> 
> Hope you're all excited for this chapter of Dear Will. This finally has over 100k words. I can't believe it.
> 
> Fun fact: The previous 27 chapters all have different numbers of asterisks in their **~~* * *~~** separators.
> 
> Now, enjoy!

_ “Hey, Will”. _

 

The cleric froze on the spot as a familiar voice came from behind.

_ No way. _

He slowly turned around, and was met with the taller boy’s timid smile — a smile that had no business being on that face he knew so well — as he walked towards the bench.

_ How can it be him? _

It actually looked like his friend had been hiding in a bush behind him for a while. Either that or the boy had just decided to walk around and surprise Will. He honestly couldn’t tell.

“Dustin,” he whispered, “what are you doing here?”

For a very brief moment, he thought he saw the bard flinch, but as he blinked his eyes, all he saw was his friend’s toothy grin, as if he’d just said the funniest thing in the world.

“Can’t you guess?” The curly-haired teen snorted. “ _ I’m _ your secret admirer”.

Well, that part should’ve been obvious, but he couldn’t help but wonder…  _ How? _

“I know I’m not who you were expecting,” Dustin shrugged and chuckled. “Definitely not who you want me to be either. But what can I say? Sometimes I  _ can _ think of something brilliant as well”.

There was something really unsettling about how the blue-eyed boy was acting, but Will couldn’t figure out what. “How—” he cleared his throat, “how can it be you?”

“Uh, I’m not sure how to answer that question, Will,” the taller teen rolled his eyes. “Maybe because there are no shapeshifters in this world? Of course, there’s always the possibility that one of the lab’s experiments is and they’re out there, but what’s the chance of that happening? Or do you want to check to see if I’m wearing a mask and a voice changer strip?”

He was sure that wasn’t necessary. That was the most Dustin thing he’d ever heard. However, it wasn’t the point of his question. “But, your handwriting—”

“You like that?” the bard grinned. “It took me eight months to learn to write using my right hand”.

“W-Wait,” Will’s eyes widened, “eight months?”

“Yeah,” the other boy stuck out his tongue. “I’ve heard it could be faster if you practiced it more often, but I couldn’t let any of you know about it”.

“How long have you been planning this?” The cleric asked. He knew this was an intricate plan, but eight months was—

“I started planning this last Christmas,” Dustin said. “You always got overly excited on Christmas, and it was really adorable watching you—”

“A year?” The shorter boy asked incredulously.  _ Why would anyone spend that much time on me? _ This had to be a prank or something.

“Are you okay?” The curly-haired teen furrowed his brows. “You kinda look like you’re gonna throw up there”.

“B-But it can’t be you,” Will mumbled. It didn’t make sense. Dustin was great, but he wasn’t the romantic type, nor was he good at arts and crafts. Not to mention, financially speaking, the bard wasn’t in the best situation to execute all these ideas either. It wasn’t that he didn’t want it to be Dustin, but if it were the blue-eyed boy, the effort the guy had put into this would’ve been immense, and there was no way Will would be able to live up to it.

The cleric’s breathing quickened, and his palms started sweating, as he felt himself starting to overthink things, but he had no idea how to stop it. Fortunately for him, the bard did. Before he knew what was happening, the shorter boy felt his friend’s hands cupping his cheeks, and suddenly, a pair of soft lips were on his.

Then it came back to him — all the kisses he’d shared with his admirer. As he relaxed and started kissing back, the brown-haired teen could remember these lips, this scent, and this little sound Dustin was making. When his lips parted slightly, he could recall the way their tongues danced together each night. But the most unexpected thing of all was, when he wrapped his arms around the bard’s neck and ran his hand through his friend’s hair, he could now be sure that his dream of kissing the admirer hadn’t been a dream at all. He could recall the feeling of these curls around his fingers, soft and silky. He could’ve doubted the things the curly-haired teen had said, but this feeling, there was no way it could’ve been fake.

Eventually, they broke off the kiss and rested their foreheads together like they always did at night. “It really is you,” Will said softly with his eyes still closed as he took a moment to take it all in. He took a deep breath before finally opening them and looking into the curly-haired teen’s ocean blue irises that seemed to glisten in the sunlight. However, what he found there wasn’t reassuring in the slightest. The taller boy looked troubled. He looked sad.  _ Broken. _ And that was when the cleric realized what had been bugging him about Dustin’s smiles. They were too staged, and none of them had reached the bard’s eyes.

“Yeah,” the other boy said softly, “sadly, it is”.

_ Wait, what?  _ “What do you me—”

“So, this is me coming out to you,” Dustin chuckled and slowly stepped away. “Think of it as an example. If I can tell you how I feel, then you can also tell  _ him _ how you feel. Go for it”.

Will frowned at the other boy’s words. “Dustin, what are you—”

“Look, Will,” the bard interrupted before he could continue, “I know you have feelings for Mike. You whispered his name once when I came to visit you”.

_ What? _ The cleric’s eyes widened. He was one hundred percent sure he’d never thought that the admirer was Mike. He might’ve briefly hoped it was, but he’d done the same with the other two. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to lie, Will,” Dustin shook his head. “That was the night you pouted to make me kiss you for the second time,” he chuckled bitterly. “How could I forget when I was supposed to go out with you later that day?”

The brown-haired teen’s heart dropped. Although not vividly, he remembered that night. He remembered thinking  _ ‘Mike was right, my mind is blocking me from knowing who it is’ _ or something similar to that. Maybe he’d mumbled some of his thoughts out loud, and Dustin had misinterpreted.

“I think you’ve misunder—”

“It’s alright,” the curly-haired boy shook his head, “I didn’t think I had a chance with someone like you anyway”.

_ But you do, so please just stop talkin— _

“I mean, how can I compete with  _ Mike Wheeler _ of all people?” The bard chuckled, but Will could see right through that now. “He’s smart, funny,  _ super _ caring, and he’s been friends with you for more than a decade. I’d have to be crazy to think I had a chance”.

“Dustin, for Christ’s sake, please shut up!” Will shouted at the top of his lungs.

That certainly had gotten the attention of the blue-eyed teen.  _ And half a dozen pigeons around us. _

“It was never a competition,” the cleric groaned. “All of you are amazing in your own ways. Does it make me not good because I’m not as smart as you?” He knew he probably sounded like a hypocrite giving Dustin the talk Mike had just given him the other day, especially one he was still working on believing, but the cleric couldn’t stand the thought of that  _ any _ of his best friends was thinking that, let alone the amazing admirer who’d done so much to make him feel special.

“It might not be a competition,” Dustin frowned, “but it’s pretty clear who would make you the happiest, and it sure as hell isn’t me”.

“But you misunderstood,” Will pleaded as he frantically searched his jeans pockets for the piece of paper he’d brought. “I never thought you were Mike. That night I wasn’t— That was because I thought of something he’d said earlier”.  _ God, where is that piece of paper? _

“Will, just don’t,” the bard sighed. “I’m not upset or anything. You don’t have to do this”.

_ Total and utter bull! Like hell you’re not. _

The note wasn’t in any of his jeans pockets. It couldn’t have fallen off. He hadn’t even moved since the last time he took it out. “No,” the cleric said exasperatedly, “I really mean it. I did write it down.  _ You _ would make me the happiest”.  _ If anything can convince Dustin, it’s that note. It has to be. _ It wasn’t in his coat pockets either, so the brown-haired boy tried searching his jeans again.

“I’m sure we both know you have feelings for Mike,” the blue-eyed teen shook his head and slowly walked away.

Of all the scenarios he’d been running in his head, he’d never thought of one where he had to convince his crush he felt the same. The shorter boy quickly ran to his friend and wrapped his arms around the other boy before he could get away. “No, listen to me,” he pleaded. “I know I have feelings for Mike, but I have feelings for you, too”. He had a feeling even if he took his jeans off and shook it upside down, he still wouldn’t be able to find the piece of paper. “You’re smart and funny, and you’ve always been there for me, and you’re extremely observant as well. I mean, I’ve never told any of you I wanted a camera, or about my favorite color set, but you still knew”.

“Well, I’m sure Mike is even more observant,” Dustin sigh. “I mean, he—”

_ Fuck it. _

The cleric took a page from the other boy’s book as he quickly grabbed his friend’s face and crashed their lips together. It certainly hadn’t been the most gentle kiss ever, but it had certainly done his job in shutting the bard up. The blond boy instinctively put his hands over Will’s hips, and the shorter boy moved his to the curly-haired teen’s shoulders. Will knew he was just trying to buy himself some time as he thought of another way to convince his friend, but he couldn’t help it when his heart threatened to jump out of his chest whenever—

_ My chest pocket. _

The hazel-eyed boy wanted to hit himself in the head for how stupid he was. He’d folded the piece of paper nicely and put it close to his heart so he wouldn’t have accidentally crushed it or dropped it when he took things in or out of his other pockets.

The shorter boy carefully moved his hand away to retrieve the tiny piece of paper, before finally pulling away from his friend. “Here’s my proof,” he said, holding the note in front of Dustin for the curly-haired teen to take.

The cleric knew he could endure a couple of awkward seconds before the bard reached for the note. He thought he could endure the awkward moments when his friend read what he’d written. But when the short moment became half a minute of wide eyes, he started to get nervous. “Dustin?” The brown-haired boy gulped. “Say something”.

“Y-You,” the other boy finally said, “you really thought I could make you the happiest?”

Will let out a relieved sigh. “Of course I do,” he said softly and put his hands on the other teen’s shoulders again. “You’re amazing, don’t you know? I’m sure  _ anyone _ would be the happiest when they were with you”.

“Really?” Dustin chuckled and rested his hands on Will’s hips. “You don’t think I’m a little too much?”

“There’s no such thing as  _ too much _ of Dustin Henderson,” the cleric snorted. “You’re perfect just the way you are”.

The bard grinned and rested their foreheads together. “Well, in that case,” he whispered, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this. William Byers, will you be my boyfriend?”

The brown-haired teen didn’t think he could grin any wider than this. He’d never thought that someone,  _ anyone _ would call him their ‘boyfriend’, let alone one of his best friends. “Yes,” he whispered back, “a thousand times yes. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this”.

“Bet you ten bucks not as much as me,” the curly-haired boy smirked.

“Wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the cleric chuckled softly. It was true that his feelings for Dustin hadn’t been there for as long as his feelings for Mike, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel as much for the other teen. After all, Dustin had been there for him after the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer, and after Mike and Lucas had both gotten themselves two wonderful girlfriends and the hazel-eyed boy felt like he was being left behind. The blond boy had always been there whenever the Party’s hangout plan fell through, and Mike disappeared because Hopper didn’t allow Jane to go, or whenever Lucas planned a surprise romantic date for Max. He’d always made sure that they would have as much fun as possible, and that was always the best thing about the amazing boy in front of him. “I love you,” he said, looking into the boy’s bright blue eyes.

As expected, the bard’s eyes widened in surprise. “You do?” He whispered disbelievingly.

“Of course I do,” Will smiled brightly at his friend — no,  _ boyfriend. _ “I’ve wanted to say this every night. You know me even better than I know myself, and you’re one of my best friends in the world. I’m so lucky to have someone like you in my life”.

He didn’t think he’d ever seen Dustin that happy in his life. The curly-haired boy’s face turned scarlet red as he rested their foreheads together. “I love you too,” he whispered.

“I know,” the cleric snorted. “You’ve told me that 25 times now”.

“Shut up and let me tell you again,” the bard rolled his eyes.

“Make me,” Will stuck out his tongue.

And his boyfriend did. In the best way ever.

 

~~~~

 

“But why?” Will asked curiously.

Now that the biggest mystery had come to life, he still had dozens of other questions he wanted to ask the mastermind behind this grand plan.

“Why what?” Dustin grinned at him. “You need to be more specific”.

The cleric contemplated the questions for a while before deciding on one. “Why did you choose now? Why not sooner or later?”

They were on their way back to the apartment. There had been a minor change of plans, since a certain idiot named Will Byers had forgotten to bring the Christmas presents, despite having put them all in a bag on the bed.

“Well, Christmas  _ is _ your favorite time of the year, after all,” the curly-haired boy chuckled. “I wanted to make it special for you. Plus, we’re all seniors now. In eight months, we’ll all be leaving for college. If I don’t say anything, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life”.

It was actually a pretty decent plan. Although, if it had been Will, he would’ve waited until the last day they were together since he’d been one hundred percent sure he would be rejected. Dustin had to be either confident that he wouldn’t get rejected, or sure that they could still be friends after the rejection. Based on how the blond teen had been hellbent on telling him to be with Mike, it was probably the latter.

“So, if I asked you why going with the countdown idea, your answer would be—”

“— because Christmas is your favorite season,” the bard shrugged. “Like I said, I wanted to make your Christmas special”.

“Why did you choose this way, then?” the brown-haired teen turned to his boyfriend. “You know, being the anonymous  _ secret admirer _ and all”.

Dustin had a sad smile on his lips. “Because, like Mike said, I was a coward,” he said softly. “I was afraid of walking to you and telling you how I feel. I already knew you’re the kindest person in the world, and you would never hurt my feelings, but I was still afraid that you would laugh at me and tell me how ridiculous I was for thinking that I had a chance”.

“Oh, Dustin,” the cleric couldn’t help but pull the other boy in for a tight hug. “Mike didn’t actually mean that when he said it, you know? I bet if he knew it was you, he wouldn’t have said that,” he sighed. “You know you’re amazing, right? It’s ridiculous how wonderful you are, and please don’t ever,  _ ever _ think that you’re anything less”.

“Look who’s talking,” the bard snorted but returned the hug nonetheless. “I know Mike didn’t mean it. And I guess I can’t help it. If that had happened, it wouldn’t have been the first time”.

“We’ve told you a million times,” the shorter boy pulled away and looked into the other teen’s sky blue eyes, “those girls were idiots and they didn’t know what they missed”.

“Alright, alright,” Dustin laughed and rolled his eyes. “So, next question?”

“How did you manage to afford all the presents?” That had been his main concern ever since the camera day. A lot of those gifts hadn’t been cheap at all.

“One word,” the taller teen grinned, “sponsors”. When he saw Will’s quizzical look, the curly-haired boy elaborated. “I’ve been saving money since New Year, doing chores, mowing lawns, walking dogs, shit like that, so I had a lot to spend. And you know my dad. He thinks he can make up for not being there by giving me money”. That was something Dustin and Mike had in common — a good-for-nothing dad who thought money could solve everything. The cleric guessed in this case, that had been kind of helpful. “My mom couldn’t help too much,” Dustin continued, gesturing Will’s wrist, where one of the gifts resided, “but she  _ did _ teach me how to make your bracelet and the dreamcatcher. And then there was Steve”.

“Wait,” the brown-haired teen couldn’t help but interrupt, “Steve?”

“Yeah,” the bard laughed out loud, “Steve knows. He lent me money whenever I needed it, and he also helped with your phone case as well”.

Will  _ had _ thought that the phone case didn’t feel like any of the boys’ styles, but he’d never thought that they might have gotten help from someone else. “Who else knows about this?” He asked, because he just had to know this.

Dustin’s cheeks turned slightly pink at the question. “I came out to Steve first, so he was the first one to know,” the bard said. “Then I told my mom, and she was really supportive. Jane saw me putting the phone case in your backpack—”

“Wait, what?” The shorter boy definitely hadn’t expected this. “ _ Jane _ knows?”

The bard nodded and scrunched his nose. “Yeah, and because of that, Max knows, too”.

That was to be expected. After all, they never hid anything from each other.

“Then I had to call Nancy for the tickets—”

“You called Nancy before my brother?” Will looked at his boyfriend incredulously.

“What can I say? I’m closer to her than to your brother, although not by  _ that _ much,” the blue-eyed teen chuckled. “Anyway, they both promised to help me with that. Then there’s your mother,” he said with a shudder.

“What could she have possibly—”

“No, no, she was really nice,” the blond boy interrupted before Will could finish his question. “She told me she knew it was me, and that she knew I would make you happy. But you should’ve seen the look in her eyes,” he made a face. “And I thought your brother’s talk was bad”.

“Well, you can rest assured that I won’t let her hurt you,” the cleric chuckled. “She can be really protective of me, but she loves all of you as well”.

“And the last person to know before today was Mike,” Dustin finished his list.

“Wait,  _ Mike _ knows?” This was getting ridiculous. So basically  _ everyone  _ knew except for him and Lucas.

“What did you expect?” The bard huffed. “I slept in the same bed as him the first night. I don’t think he even slept”.

“Okay, now you’re just being silly,” Will chuckled. “Sure, you slept in the same bed, but that doesn’t mean he knew”.

“Well, he definitely knew it when I went back to bed after leaving you,” the taller teen rolled his eyes. “Plus, I think he saw me falling asleep in class”.

“You fell asleep in class?” The cleric furrowed his brows.  _ How did I miss that? _

“Well, obviously not the classes I share with you,” his boyfriend blushed a little, “but it’s not easy waking up every night”.

“How did you do it?” Will asked. “You know, waking up every night like that? I don’t think you set any alarms when you guys slept over at my place, or yesterday”.

“I  _ did _ set an alarm when we were having that sleepover,” Dustin chuckled. “It just didn’t have any sound. Couldn’t risk waking all of you up for that, could I?” The boy grinned as if that had been one of his most brilliant ideas. “But eventually I got used to waking up at that time, so I didn’t need an alarm these last two days. Still tiring  _ as fuck,  _ though. That’s why I slept for like, half of our ride here”.

He’d never thought of that, but now that the bard had mentioned it, he wondered why he hadn’t seen it before.

“How did you manage to leave the presents in my locker anyway?” The hazel-eyed teen asked the last question he could think of. “There was one day when we all went to school together, and once I got to school before you”.

“Ah, yes,” the curly-haired teen chuckled, “that was definitely  _ not _ easy”. The boy looked way too smug to give off an innocent vibe. “You see, I knew I couldn’t just disappear every morning to put things in your locker, so I thought of a way. I managed to unlock every window in our Chem classroom without anyone noticing, so at night—”

“Dustin!” Will exclaimed, unable to believe what he’d just heard. “Don’t tell me you broke into school at night,” he said exasperatedly.  _ God, he’s an idiot. Why is the smartest guy in our group an idiot? _

“I didn’t get caught or any—”

“But you could’ve,” the cleric facepalmed himself. “You could’ve gotten in so much trouble for that”.

“But I didn’t—”

“Promise me you’ll never do anything like that again”.

“Bu—”

“Dustin!”

The blond boy pleaded with his eyes, but there was no way Will would give up, and they both knew it. Eventually, his boyfriend relented. “Fine, I promise,” the bard mumbled.

“Thank you,” the hazel-eyed teen said softly before reaching out and grabbing the taller teen’s hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and received one in return, so he supposed they were good.

“So, you have feelings for me, huh?” Dustin asked softly.

“Yeah,” Will smiled.

“And Mike?”

The cleric’s heart sank at that question. He felt like he didn’t deserve to walk next to the bard, let alone holding his hand like this. His boyfriend, however, never had the intention of letting go, as the taller teen started rubbing circles on the back of Will’s hand.

“I— I’m sorry,” he whispered timidly and looked away. “I don’t just have feelings for you”. He’d told Dustin that he had feelings for the bard as well as the paladin, but he hadn’t mentioned his feelings for the ranger.

“It’s okay,” the curly-haired boy said softly before stopping in his track and pulling Will in for a hug. “You’re okay. We’ll figure it out”.

The brown-haired teen didn’t know what to do other than to wrap his arms around the other boy.

_ We’ll figure it out. _

One word was left out, but he heard it loud and clear.

_ Together. _

 

~~~~

 

Everyone else was slightly pissed when they finally arrived at Nancy and Jonathan’s apartment, mostly because they were all hungry and it was already 1pm. However, they all seemed to blame the bard, despite the fact that Will had been the one to forget the presents in the first place.

For Dustin, the idiot had decided to announce their relationship by walking into the apartment hand in hand, with the most dopey smile he could muster on his face. That had gotten them a round of applause from everyone but his brother, something Will still felt awkward about after an hour.

At the moment, the cleric was helping Lucas wash the dishes in the kitchen, his boyfriend nowhere to be found. He had a suspicion that Jonathan was having a second brother talk with the bard, which, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t sure was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, his brother was looking out for him, and that proved that he had the most wonderful family ever. On the other hand, he felt like Jonathan didn’t think he could take care of himself. Furthermore, Dustin was the sweetest boy on the planet, and he couldn’t imagine the bard hurting him in any way.

“Are you happy with the result?” Lucas asked softly, and Will could only nod with a blush on his cheeks.

“Did you think it was him?” The ranger continued.

“N-No,” the hazel-eyed teen shook his head. “I actually thought it was someone else”.

“Mike?”

“You,” the cleric said meekly. “S-Sorry…”

“No, don’t be,” the taller teen gave Will a warm smile. “I’m really flattered you thought it was me. I should’ve thought of something like this”.

“Dustin was the last person I thought would think about doing all of this for one person,” the shorter boy admitted, feeling a little bad for talking behind his boyfriend’s back.

“Me, too,” Lucas chuckled. “I actually thought it was Mike”.

“Are  _ you _ okay with this?” Will asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “I don’t know… I just thought you and Dustin… Well, he’s been acting a little weird around you”.

“Don’t worry, I’m okay with this,” the ranger smiled softly. “You might not have noticed, but we  _ all _ want you to be happy”.

“And we’re all happy for you both,” Mike said as he entered the kitchen. “You two look adorable together”.

“Th-Thanks, guys,” the cleric stuttered, his cheeks heating up a little. “I just hope things won’t get awkward now that Dustin and I are…”  _ Dating. _

“Don’t worry,” the paladin smiled softly at him. “None of us would let  _ anything _ be awkward. It’s not the Party without our cleric and bard, after all”.

“What he said,” Lucas smirked, “but less cheesy”.

“ _ Excuse _ you, Lucas,” Mike huffed. “ _ I’m _ cheesy now?”

“If the shoe fits,” the black teen shrugged.

A knock on the kitchen door interrupted Mike before the dungeon master could retaliate, and three pairs of eyes turned towards the bard. “Sorry to interrupt your lovemaking session,” Dustin smirked, “but I’m gonna need to borrow Will for a bit”.

Before any of the other boys started bickering, Will made a beeline for the exit and took the curly-haired boy’s hand, dragging his boyfriend away. They entered the living room, and he didn’t stop until they were standing next to the window. He’d noticed the beautiful view earlier when they’d had their Christmas lunch, and since no place was truly private in a small New York apartment with six people, this was as nice as any spot to have a conversation. “So, what do you need me for?” He asked softly.

The blue-eyed teen said nothing as he took out of his pocket a tiny two-by-two box, wrapped in the all too familiar crimson red wrapping with tiny sky blue polka dots. If he ever needed any more proof that Dustin was the admirer, this would be it. “I know it’s silly,” the other boy said, “but I just wanted to give you your first Christmas present before anyone else”.

Will could feel his face heating up at his boyfriend’s words. “Oh,” he said lamely and took the package from the taller boy’s hand, “thanks, Dustin. I don’t have your—”

“I don’t mind getting it later from you,” the curly-haired teen grinned. “ _ You _ are already the best thing I could ever hope for”.

“Can’t believe you’re even cheesier than Lucas,” the cleric teased as he carefully opened his first gift.

It was a necklace.

“Merry Christmas, Will,” the bard whispered.

The necklace was fairly simple — a silver chain with a single paintbrush charm on it. However, he thought it was the most  _ elegant _ necklace he’d ever seen. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

“Beautiful enough that you’ll let me help you put it on?” Dustin asked with a wide grin, and the brown-haired teen responded with an eager nod. He stood still as his boyfriend took the necklace from his hand and put it around his neck. He couldn’t explain, but there was something about the tiny gesture that made his heart soar.

“This looks even better on you than I’d imagined,” the blue-eyed boy chuckled.

Will didn’t know what the other boy had imagined, but he couldn’t deny that the gift looked  _ great _ on him. The shorter boy took his boyfriend's hands and look into the taller teen’s blue eyes. “I love it,” he said with a smile. “Thanks, Dustin”.

“You’re welcome,” the blond boy gave him a thousand-watt smile.

Lucas cleared his throat, snapping them both back to reality and reminding them that they were still standing in Jonathan and Nancy’s living room.

The two turned around to see all four pairs of eyes looking at them.

“Why are you looking at us like that?” Dustin asked quizzically.

Mike pointed at something above their heads, and Will had a feeling he knew what that  _ something _ was even before looking up.

_ Mistletoe. _

“What? C’mon,” Dustin groaned. “Really?”

However, before his boyfriend could say anything else, Will grabbed the taller boy’s collar and pulled him in for a kiss.

He definitely could get used to this.

_ I love you, my secret admirer. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how many of you got it right? There aren't a lot of fics out there with Dustin finding love, and most of the time when he is, he's part of a background ship anyway, so I wanted to give him the spotlight this time.
> 
> So, what do you think about this chapter? Like it? Hate it? Feel dissatisfied? Have some questions that I haven't answered? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> For those who felt like this was already enough, or if you lost interest because this wasn't the ending you were rooting for, thank you for your time.
> 
> For those wanting to see more of this, I still have a couple of chapters left for you to read. Hope I'll see you again.
> 
> Until next time :)


	29. Epilogue 1: Bet I Can Take Your Mind Off It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second update of the week? Bet you weren't expecting this ;)
> 
> This chapter, we'll take a look at something that happened behind the scene from a certain boy's point of view ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

“Will you stop pacing?” Lucas huffed before plopping back down on the bed. “It’s just one day. What’s Mike gonna do? Tell Will he’s the admirer? He’s been able to keep it for three weeks, he won’t do it now”.

Despite his current state, Dustin still had a difficult time fighting a grin.

Lucas still thought it was Mike. He was still careful enough not to be discovered. Or at least not to be discovered by Will and Lucas. Max and Jane had already confronted him the day he started the whole thing, and he had a feeling Mike might’ve noticed all the times he’d dozed off in the classes he didn’t share with Will.

Admittedly, that had put him in a rather dangerous situation, since that meant one more person who could accidentally slip up and ruin his year-long plan. So far, he’d had to ask his mom and Steve for help a bunch of times, confess to Jane and Max after being spotted slipping the phone case inside Will’s bag, rope Nancy and Jonathan in so he could’ve asked them to buy the tickets for the play in advance, and confess to Joyce after being confronted by the nice yet scary woman. Lucky for him, all of them had agreed to keep that a secret, but he wasn’t sure if he could convince Mike to as well, since  _ everybody  _ knew the paladin had feelings for the cleric — everybody but Will.

“Yeah, right, and suddenly on Christmas,  _ you _ will come out and surprise everyone after convincing people that you weren’t the one,” he huffed at his friend. He only had to keep this act up for four more days. “Do I look that gullible to you?”

There was a part of him, a tiny part deep in his heart, that wanted to be a suspect. It stung a little when none of his best friends thought he could’ve come up with this whole thing. It stung a little whenever Lucas shot Mike glances as the admirer came up in conversation. It had definitely stung a little when Will had mumbled Mike’s name that one night — right before the curly-haired teen’s  _ date _ with the cleric. However, he didn’t care if they thought so little of him. In fact, that had been his greatest advantage in this whole plan, since none of them would’ve expected anything.

At least he’d keep telling himself that in front of the mirror until it became true.

“For the last time, I’m not the admirer,” the ranger groaned. “Your pacing is making me dizzy”.

They were in Lucas’ bedroom. Dustin knew he wouldn’t be able to calm his nerves today, and being alone in his house wouldn’t help either. That had been why Lucas had opened the door for him at fuckwad o’clock in the morning, the same way Mike had opened the door for him on Will’s day with Lucas.

“Well, excuse me for wanting to know what’s happening on Mike’s date. It’s not like I have to compete against both of you”. He didn’t like his chance against either of them, let alone both.

Dustin hadn’t done all this whole secret admirer stuff to win Will over. Sure, that would’ve been an amazing thing, but the whole point was to make Will happy. If the cleric was happier with Lucas or Mike, then he would happily step back. That was the reason he decided to stay anonymous after all — so the cleric wouldn’t be pressured into being with him, and could think of being with the one person that would make the guy the happiest.

The curly-haired teen definitely wouldn’t blame Will if he preferred to be with Lucas or Mike. Even he would’ve chosen Lucas or Mike over himself.

Lucas was the sweetest guy ever. He’d taken Will to Lovers’ Lake.  _ Fucking Lovers’ Lake _ . Why hadn’t the bard thought of that? His idea of a perfect date with Will was to take him to the mall. The fucking mall where things had gone down before they’d become high schoolers. He was glad his friend hadn’t had a panic attack or something. That aside, Lucas was also that guy who would hold a boombox outside your window serenading you with love songs no matter the weather. How was he gonna compete against that?

And that wasn’t everything. There was also this tiny situation with Mister Perfect. Who in the world knew Will better than Mike? Who could possibly help Will with literally anything other than Mike? Hadn’t that been the reason why Mike had almost always been the designated person to distract Will whenever Will’s thoughts got out of hand? And not just with Will, either. Mike could literally understand and talk to any of them without ever having to open his mouth. He still remembered how Lucas and Mike had been in sync without having to open their mouths when they’d had their snowball fight last Tuesday. Also, the fact that Mike had understood his bargain the day Jane and Max left was something he would never be able to explain to anyone.

Nope. He wasn’t having crushes on his best friends. Only one best friend.

Okay, maybe he was.

He blamed Lucas and Mike for that.

And maybe Will too.

Why did they all have to be so damn perfect?

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around Dustin’s waist, pulling him down to the bed with a loud yelp.

“You know, Will’s thoughts might’ve been the loudest, but yours aren’t that quiet either,” the taller teen said before letting out a sleepy yawn and resting his chin on Dustin’s shoulder. The curly-haired boy rolled his eyes and huffed as he tried his best to fight off the blush was becoming more and more prominent on his cheeks.

“I can’t help it,” he grumbled. “How the fuck are you so calm about it? You like him, too”.

“That’s easy. Don’t think about it,” Lucas provided unhelpfully, and the bard couldn’t help but glare at his best friend. If he had been able to not think about it, he wouldn’t have been suffering here right now. “Don’t suppose you have any plans for today, do you?” The ranger asked. Without waiting for his answer, he took Dustin’s hands and pulled him off the bed. “Let’s go out”.

“‘Go out’ as in trying to run into Mike and Will?” The blond teen furrowed his brows. Not that he hadn’t thought of that, but he’d expected better from the other boy.

“No, dumbass,” the taller boy scowled. “‘Go out’ as in I’m taking you out on a date”.

Dustin must’ve had a stroke. Or he must’ve zoned out at some point. Or he had misheard the black teen somehow. The other boy definitely hadn’t said what he thought he’d just heard. “What?” He asked dumbly.

“You heard me,” Lucas grinned. “Wait here while I change into something nicer”.

“What the hell are you doing?” The blue-eyed teen frowned. “Luke, wha—”

“You’ve been thinking about what Mike and Will could be doing,” Lucas interrupted. “Bet I can take your mind off it,” he said with a wink before heading towards the bathroom, leaving a confused bard in his bedroom, cheeks gradually heating up.

 

~~* * *~~

 

“This is nice, don’t you think?” Lucas asked softly from behind the menu.

“Y-Yeah,” Dustin nodded sheepishly. ‘Nice’ certainly was a word for it, but if he had to pick a word, he would’ve gone for something closer to ‘extravagant’.

They had managed to get a table at a pretty nice brunch restaurant in town — the kind of restaurant that needed a reservation on Saturday at 1pm if you didn’t want to have to stand around for two hours — so the bard didn’t think this was just an improvised plan. “Lucas?” He cleared his throat. “Why are we here?”

“I told you, didn’t I?” The taller teen chuckled. “We’re on a date. Does this not look like a date to you?”

“I thought you liked Will,” the curly-haired teen frowned.

“I thought  _ you _ liked Will,” the ranger snorted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The shorter teen was sure he hadn’t embarrassed himself or done anything he’d regret like commenting on Lucas’ good look, but the unimpressed stare he was getting was starting to make him question that judgment.

“Seriously?” The black teen asked, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, how about this? Did you enjoy kissing Mike?”

Dustin didn’t know where the other boy was heading, but he knew he didn’t like it.

“W-What?”

“Seriously,” Lucas groaned, “did you suddenly go deaf today or something?”

“Hey!”

“Well, did you?” The taller teen put his menu down and crossed his arms. “Because you’ve been making me repeat  _ everything _ ”.

“Only because most of the things coming out of your mouth today are ridiculous,” Dustin huffed. “Like this one,” he said, gesturing to the table between them. “Why would you want to go on a date with me?”

Lucas suddenly looked a lot more serious as he stared into the bard’s eyes, as if he was considering letting the other boy in on a major secret. “Maybe,” he said slowly, “I want to make it up to you”.

The bard let out a frustrated sigh at that.  _ Of course it was guilt _ , he thought. “I told you,” he groaned, “it was in the past. I don’t wake up every night thinking about you and Max holding hands in that bus anymore”.

“ _ ‘Anymore?’ _ ”

“Not the point,” the blue-eyed teen sighed. “You don’t have to take me out to make up for something younger you did four years ago”.

“What if I also want to do something nice for you?” The ranger asked.

“Why would you want to do some—”

“Gee, I don’t know,” Lucas said sarcastically. “Why on earth would  _ anyone _ want to do something nice for  _ anyone _ ?”

“Not what I meant, asshole,” Dustin scoffed.

“That was  _ exactly _ what you meant,” the ranger huffed. “Maybe I want to do something nice for you because I  _ care _ about you? Or because you deserve to be treated like that?”

The bard narrowed his eyes at the teen in front of him. “Who are you and where the fuck is Lucas?”

“You were the one who started asking questions,” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Well,  _ you _ took me to this fancy restaurant,” the curly-haired teen shot back, “which I am grossly underdressed for, by the way, so thanks a lot, Lucas”.

“My dad said this place has great food, but if you don’t want to eat—”

“I never said that. I just—”

“You giving me the third degree  _ kinda _ said it for you”.

“Fine, I’ll order. Jeez”.

“Thank you”.

It took them another five more minutes to finally decide what to get, but at least those five minutes weren’t as awkward anymore. However, it would never truly  _ not _ be awkward to go on a date with your best friend, especially when you might have had a tiny crush on said best friend,  _ and _ a third best friend whom said best friend also had a crush on. He wouldn’t even have to bring in the fourth best friend for it to be awkward.

“You know, younger me also had a crush on younger you,” Lucas said casually, as if he was just reading an article out loud.

Meanwhile, Dustin almost choked on his own spit. “W-What?”

“Yeah,” the black teen chuckled. “Smart young Dustin with beautiful blue eyes and the softest hair, not to mention the cutest goofy smile. You were adorable”.

“Why are you telling me this now?” The bard asked, his eyes still glued to Lucas for some reason.

“I know that you used to have a crush on me, so I guess it’s only fair that you know about my crush on you as well,” the ranger shrugged. “Is there a problem?”

_ Yeah, the problem is I still have a crush on you _ , he thought, but shook his head nonetheless.

He knew this was just typical Lucas. He knew his best friend could win over any girl at school by saying things like that, and those weren’t even lies. The guy had a way to just be smooth by being himself like that, and unfortunately, the bard was falling for that.

“Are you trying to discreetly compliment me?” The curly-haired teen rolled his eyes playfully. “Because I still have those traits, you know”.

“I suppose you do,” the other teen laughed. “But you’re also incredibly dumb now”.

“Hey!”

“You totally are,” Lucas stuck out his tongue. “But don’t worry. That’s still part of your charm”.

“So I’m  _ charming _ now,” the bard snorted. “Good to know,  _ Lukey _ ”.

“I would definitely not use that word,  _ Dusty _ ,” the ranger glared. “You’re  _ something _ , alright. You’re a handful”.

“Gee, thanks,” the blue-eyed boy deadpanned.

“Glad I could help,” Lucas grinned and reached over to ruffle the other boy’s hair.

Dustin tried to shake the taller teen’s hand off and pretend like he hated it.

He succeeded in neither.

 

~~* * *~~

 

Overall, brunch with Lucas had gone great. They had talked about anything and everything, from movie theories to Rainbow Road shortcuts. Dustin found it better to just enjoy his day with the taller teen than to think about what it was called. Of course, he couldn’t always ignore it — especially when Lucas had paid for him like a gentleman — but those moments hadn’t lasted long.

After the restaurant, they had both gone back to Lucas’ and played video games the entire afternoon, since if the curly-haired teen was being honest with himself, they would’ve made a huge mess at his house and he didn’t want to deal with it before their trip. Therefore, a house with sweet loving parents who wouldn’t mind their son bringing friends home had been the perfect choice.

At least until the shorter boy realized he hadn’t done the task he’d been entrusted with the previous day — delivering Steve’s Christmas presents. If it had been only Lucas’ present, he could’ve gotten away with it by blaming said boy for distracting him from the task. However, he was also in possession of Mike’s and Will’s gifts, and he really didn’t want to see that look of disappointment on their faces. Those who’d thought that anger was the worst thing you could possibly see on the face of those you cared about clearly didn’t know what they were talking about.

Which led him to his current situation, in Lucas’ passenger seat as the other teen drove them both to Steve’s. The dumb idiot had insisted on driving him around today, since apparently, that was the right thing to do. In his opinion, that was just a Lucas thing to do.

He’d also had a problem when the ranger drove him back home to get the presents. Or, to be more precise, he’d realized he should’ve thought of something. All the gifts — Steve’s, the boys’, Nancy’s and Jonathan’s — were wrapped in the same wrapping paper he’d been using as the secret admirer. There was absolutely no way he could let Lucas, or any of the boys for that matter, see them before Christmas Day. Lucky for him, he’d found some paper bags around the house, and the other boy was still blissfully unaware.

“So, do you wanna come in with me, or are you waiting outside?” He asked. “Steve said he has an untouched room-temperature pizza on his counter, in case you’re hungry”. The shorter teen had texted the young adult to make sure the guy was home, and the guy had said that he and Lucas could come in if they liked.

“You mean in case  _ you’re _ hungry?” The ranger raised an eyebrow.

“I’m always hungry,” Dustin rolled his eyes. “So, are you in or not?”

“Well, I don’t have anything better to do anyway,” the taller teen shrugged and got out of the car.

Despite Steve being the friendliest young adult to interact with the Party, most of them still treated the guy like he was a friend’s sibling rather than a friend, which, the bard guessed was understandable, since he also looked up to the guy like the brother he never had. Steve was definitely the person he’d confide in, since most of his problems had something to do with his best friends, and there was no chance in hell he would tell  _ any _ of them about it.

The shorter teen walked with his friend towards the door and invite themselves in — something he’d done quite often. “Steve?” He called out. “Lucas is here”. That was a warning for the guy as well, since he didn’t want the adult to mention anything about the secret admirer, and he’d also told Steve not to take any gifts out of the bag when Lucas was around.

“In the kitchen,” the guy’s voice echoed around the house. “You scamps want something to drink? Non-alcoholic only”.

_ What a hypocrite _ , the bard snorted as they headed towards the kitchen. Everyone knew what stupid teenagers did at parties. Everyone knew that Steve was one of the stupidest teenagers in Hawkins — in the most endearing way possible, of course. Therefore, the guy pretending to be a responsible adult was one of the most ridiculous things he’d ever witnessed.

“Hi, Steve,” Lucas greeted and leaned against the doorway. “Where are your parents?”

“It’s the holiday season,” Steve grumbled as he sat on the counter, sipping what looked like a margarita. “Where do you think?”

“Malibu? Florida? The Caribbean? Switzerland?” Dustin threw out random guesses as he headed to the counter and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Didn’t you say  _ non-alcoholic _ only?” It wasn’t even 5pm yet and the guy was already eating cold pizza and sipping a cocktail.

“None for you,” the guy shrugged. “I just got off work. I deserve this”.

“Sure you do,” the bard rolled his eyes and slid the paper bag containing Steve’s presents towards him. “Merry Christmas”.

“I didn’t get you guys anything,” the adult said nonchalantly as he picked up the bag and looked inside.

“So the pile under your bed wasn’t for us?” Dustin snorted.

“How the fuck did—?”

“You hide it there every year, Steve,” Lucas interrupted. “I’m surprised Dustin hasn’t taken a look at it yet”.

“I have boundaries, Lucas,” the curly-haired teen scowled and took another slice before heading to the door and offering the black teen.

“Evidently not, since you were at my door at 7am on a Saturday,” the ranger huffed but took the slice anyway.

“I told you, you could’ve gone back to sleep,” the bard shrugged.

“And what were you gonna do? Stare at me for two hours?”

“And how did you help by being awake again?”

“Did you two just come inside to argue?” Steve deadpanned. “Because I’ve had a long day”.

“You worked a five-hour shift today,” Dustin retorted. “You got home at 2pm”.

“It was a Saturday,” Steve said exasperatedly, “and  _ right _ before Christmas. Do you have any idea how many crying whining kids I had to clean up after today? I don’t want to clean up after you two as well”.

“Should’ve thought of that before you invited us in, then,” the bard smirked.

“Should’ve looked before you stood there, then,” the young adult retorted.

That had confused Dustin a little.  _ What’s wrong with standing here? _ As he scanned his eyes around for any reason to  _ not _ be where he was, his eyes landed on the boy next to him. Lucas, however, was looking at something above their heads.

_ Shit _ .

Without even having to look, he knew what had caught the ranger’s attention. Still, his eyes traveled up to the mistletoe hanging under the doorway.  _ Why the fuck didn’t I see that before? _

The camera shutter sound made the bard’s head snapped around to Steve, who had clearly just taken a photo of the two teens under the  _ death trap _ . “Steve!”

“I was gonna let it slide, but not after  _ that _ attitude,” the guy said. “Now that’s your punishment, or I will send this to your friends and let them be the judge of it”.

“You wouldn’t”.

“Wanna find out?”

Dustin scrunched his nose.  _ What the fuck is he doing? _ Steve knew about his crush on Lucas, though they hadn’t brought that up since the day he came out to the older guy.  _ Even if he thought I was over it, this is cruel _ . The blue-eyed teen knew that if his friends knew about this — or at least if the girls knew about this, they would never let it go, and he would have more audience. He couldn’t see any way for him to come out on top of this.

“I don’t mind, you know,” Lucas said, yanking him away from his thought.

“W-What?” He asked, unable to trust his own ears.

The taller teen rolled his eyes, and Dustin could see another comment about him suddenly going deaf coming.

Except it didn’t come.

He could see the ranger slowly leaning in, the dark brown eyes searched for his sky blue orbs, trying to see if he was okay with this.

He was most certainly not.

His heart was beating a thousand beats per minute, and everything suddenly disappeared from existence.

Because he wanted this so much.

As their lips connected, his eyes fluttered shut, and the bard let out a quiet whimper. Lucas’ lips were softer than he’d imagined — not that he’d ever admitted to imagining kissing the taller teen out loud. The boy’s breath smelled like pizza, but he supposed his was the same. A hand cupped his cheek, and right that moment, he felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. This felt different, but equally magical to the kiss he’d shared with Mike, or the one he’d had with Will in the photo booth, or any of the midnight kisses with the cleric. With the paladin, it had been an introduction to this whole other amazing world of kissing. With an awake Will, it had a hint of shyness the boy always had in him. A half-asleep Will was more daring and adventurous. But with Lucas, it was full of the ranger’s confidence. The bard slowly returned the kiss, joining the dance with the taller teen’s lips. His arms moved up to wrap around the black boy’s neck and—

“Man,” Steve groaned, snapping them both out of their current  _ activity _ , “I said I didn’t want to clean up after you guys”.

Dustin had forgotten that they were in Steve’s house. He’d forgotten that they had an audience. He’d definitely forgotten that he’d just let go of the slice of pizza he was having.

“You made us do this, so suck it,” the curly-haired teen quickly retorted. “If I do it, I’m gonna do it right”.

His flushed cheeks and his rapidly rising and falling chest probably hadn’t fooled the older guy, but he would scream at the asshole later, when he was finally home and not as close to Lucas.

“Pick that up, both of you,” Steve said exasperatedly. However, as the ranger made a move to bend down, the bard quickly stopped his friend.

“No,” he huffed and started pulling the taller teen towards the front door. “We’re leaving. You can pick it up yourself”. The blue-eyed boy definitely wasn’t in the mood to hang around someone who could potentially tease him about this event.

“Assholes!” Steve cursed out loud, but Dustin didn’t stop until they were both inside Lucas’ car.

This was definitely not what he’d expected to happen when he’d woken up that morning, or any morning for that matter. He hadn’t expected to know what Lucas’ lips felt like. He certainly didn’t want to  _ like _ that feeling. None of those things would make getting over Lucas any easier. Dustin would know. It had been the same with Mike, after all.

“So,” Lucas cleared his throat, “that was nice”.

“And you’re surprised?” The bard scowled. He definitely could not handle being mushy right now, and since he couldn’t run away in the black teen’s car, fighting would have to do. “I told you I was  _ excellent _ at that”.

“Well, I believe you now. Happy?” The ranger rolled his eyes. “Why are you upset, then? Didn’t like it?”

_ ‘Didn’t like it?’ I loved it, asshole. _

“I’m not upset,” the curly-haired teen huffed, and his friend sent him the most unimpressed look he could muster. “Fine, I’m upset,” he relented. “You said this was a date, and I don’t do kisses before the end of a date”.

Obviously, the ranger didn’t look like he believed that excuse, but since the blue-eyed teen couldn’t exactly tell the truth, and there was no way for Lucas to be certain that it wasn’t one, that would have to do.

The taller teen kept his gaze for several seconds before turning away. “So does that mean I could have one if that hadn’t happened?”

“Just drive me home already,” Dustin groaned.

_ Damn it, Lucas. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Have some concern? Let me know.
> 
> Did this chapter answer some of your concerns, or did it give you more questions?
> 
> The next chapter will be the final one. Hope you'll be ready for it once it comes out. Very soon.
> 
> Have a Good Friday everyone!


	30. Epilogue 2: In Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in one week? What kind of sorcery is this?
> 
> It's finally here! The last chapter of this fic. I hope this one won't confuse you too much, seeing how this is more of a compilation of events :)
> 
> For the last time, enjoy!

The door swung open, and behind it, the familiar handsome guy flashed her his charming smile. “Honey, I’m home!”

Once upon a time, that smile would’ve worked. Not anymore. She glanced at the living room clock.

_ 8.34pm. _

“You’re late,” she sent him a glare, “again”.

“Only by half an hour,” he said with a pout. When it was clear that she wouldn’t budge, he turned to the only other person in the room. “Babe, a little help?”

“Sorry, Hotshot, but I’m not getting on Nancy’s bad side today,” Jonathan said without looking back. “You’re on your own”.

“You’re not even sorry,” Nancy huffed, crossing her arms. “Steve, I made gourmet dinner for us. We even have candles and everything”.

She wasn’t even being unreasonable. None of them had expected Steve to drive for twelve straight hours from Hawkins to New York. She gave him an extra hour and a half for lunch and pit stops. Still, the idiot managed to be half an hour late.

“I’m sorry,” Steve sighed, “lunch ran a little long today. Plus, New York traffic on holiday season is horrendous”.

“It’s the 27th,” the brown-eyed girl rolled her eyes and turned around, “Christmas is already over and New Year’s Eve isn’t until Monday”. That wasn’t a very bad excuse, but she was still annoyed that the guy was  _ once again _ late. Between school and their jobs, the three of them barely got to see each other. “Dinner in five,” she informed both her boyfriends.

During their slightly dampened romantic dinner, they mostly talked about the same things. Steve would complain about his life in Hawkins in general — how shitty it was working in the service industry, and how his emotionally neglectful parents couldn’t care less about him. The guy totally could’ve moved to New York with them, or basically lived anywhere else, but she knew he wouldn’t do that until Dustin graduated. The kid had become like a little brother to Steve, and sometimes Nancy wondered if the bond they had was even stronger than her bond with Mike or Holly. Jonathan would share his stories, the people he’d taken photos of and the tales he’d heard. Her other boyfriend was working at the university newspaper. He was in charge of the  _ Humans of NYU _ segment — the school’s version of the infamous  _ Humans of New York _ . She would then talk about how her boss kept riding her all day long at her intern job at the Times, and Steve would make some kind of inappropriate comments that would make her throw something at him.

But then, Steve brought up something that confused her a little. “So, did you see it?” He asked.

She turned to look at Jonathan, only to see a confused look mirrored on his face. At least she wasn’t the only one.

“See what?” Her other boyfriend asked quizzically.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. “How much time have you spent with the four hellspawns?”

“What exactly did you want us to see?” Nancy asked.

“You know,” Steve shrugged, as if the thing he was talking about should’ve been the first thing to come to their minds, “the electricity”.

_ Oh. That. _

“Of course we saw that,” Jonathan snorted, “we’re not blind”.

It only took about five minutes around Mike for her to notice her brother’s warm and affectionate look towards all his friends, and another ten minutes to realize that look was on each and every boy in the room. It had come as a surprise, if she was being honest with herself, since she’d only known about Mike’s crush on Will.

“So, do you wanna do something about it?” Steve raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” She furrowed her brows. “Like, meddling?” She was too old to play matchmaker, and definitely too old to meddle in her brother’s personal business.

“Not exactly,” Steve rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure about the others, but I don’t think Dustin knew it was okay to fall for more than one person. I think it’s time we tell them about us”.

So far, their relationship had been a secret to everyone. Sure, people knew about her and Jonathan, but Steve had never come up in conversation. Only Dustin knew and cared that the guy left Hawkins every once in a while, but Steve had managed to convince the kid that he just wanted to get away from his parents from time to time. He’d  _ ‘just happened to be in New York’ _ to collect Will’s ticket for the kid, although Nancy believed Dustin thought the guy had driven to New York solely because of him.

“So you think we can show them it’s okay?” Jonathan contemplated the idea.

“Are you planning to gather them up and tell them tomorrow?” Nancy asked.

“Too soon,” her other boyfriend shook his head. “Dustin and Will  _ just _ got together. Give them time to adjust to that first”. The guy thought about that for a moment before continuing. “The next time you’re back in Hawkins, each of us can take our brothers out and tell them then”.

It was actually a decent idea. Aside from being able to help the kids, they also could stop hiding one of the most important parts of their lives from their brothers — or Dustin, in Steve’s case. However, there was one tiny issue.

“Who’s gonna talk to Lucas, then?” She voiced her concern. This tête-à-tête plan would leave out one teen.

Surprisingly, Steve smirked at that question. “I don’t think you need to worry about him,” he said. “I said we didn’t have to meddle. I didn’t say someone hadn’t already”.

The other two narrowed their eyes at their boyfriend. “What do you know?” Jonathan asked.

 

~~*~~

 

Mike walked into the guest room, where Lucas was still sleeping soundly. That wasn’t too big of a surprise, since the other teen  _ had _ been up since before 4am the previous day for their trip to New York, and he hadn’t slept even once in the car. Granted, the paladin had also been up since 3am, but he had rested his eyes for a bit on the way.

He’d asked Dustin to do this initially, but the other boy had practically begged him not to, by saying  _ ‘please’. _ The bard never used that word with him or Lucas unless he really didn’t want to do something. Therefore, Mike had been slightly alarmed and had to have one of those silent conversations with the curly-haired teen in front of Will.

 

**_Are you okay?_ ** _ He shot the other boy a quizzical look. _

**_I’m fine,_ ** _ the bard answered by nodding his head slightly. _

**_Did Lucas do something to you?_ ** _ The raven-haired boy furrowed his eyebrows. _

**_No, he didn’t,_ ** _ Dustin shook his head before biting his lips.  _ **_Can you please do that for me?_ **

**_You don’t look like it was nothing to worry about,_ ** _ Mike tilted his head slightly. _

**_It’s not him, it’s me,_ ** _ the blue-eyed teen sighed before shooting him a pleading look.  _ **_Please?_ **

 

The other boy definitely hadn’t needed that last  _ ‘please’ _ to convince him to help, but Mike had rolled his eyes before nodding, so Dustin would think that it was the last straw.

Which led him to now, sitting on the edge of Lucas’ bed, gently shaking the other boy.

“Wanna join us for breakfast, Lucas?” He asked once the sleeping teen started groaning. It took a couple more seconds for the ranger to open one eye.

“Morning,” he mumbled. “What time is it?”

“Not too late,” Mike chuckled, “but everything is ready and waiting for you, Your Majesty”.

“ _ 'Your Majesty,’ _ huh?” The black boy opened his other eye and raised an eyebrow. “I like waking up to this”.

The paladin’s cheeks heated up a little at that comment, but he rolled his eyes and punched his friend in the shoulder. “Alright. Get your ass up befo—”

“Are those drool marks?” Lucas interrupted, pointing at Mike’s chest.

The taller boy didn’t need to look down to know what his friend was talking about. His face turned into a tomato as he remembered the previous night. Sometime in the middle of the night, he’d woken up alone in his bed, which hadn’t surprised him that much since he’d already figured out that the admirer was Dustin. The bard had come back a while later and lain down at the edge of the bed, probably so as not to wake him up. The paladin remembered reaching out and pulling the other boy against his chest, saying something about not falling off, before going back to sleep. Needless to say, that had ended up in him finding himself with a curly mop of hair drooling on his chest for the second time this month. A part of him wished he could wake up like that more often, while another part felt horrible for liking that feeling because after all, Dustin was Will’s secret admirer.

“Maybe?” The lanky teen answered as nonchalantly as possible. “Why? Jealous?” He snickered, trying to lighten the situation.

“As the matter of fact, yes,” the ranger sat up and smirked, immediately wiping the smile off his friend’s face.

“Really?” Mike raised his eyebrows. “Of me or Dustin?”

“How about a bit of both?” Lucas asked, staring straight into the dungeon master’s eyes.

Not having expected that, the paladin choked on air, and as a result, his face turned even redder than it had been. “W-What?”

The other teen just watched his reaction and chuckled before changing the subject. “I think I’m gonna miss this, you know?”

“What do you mean?” The taller teen sent his friend a quizzical look.

“Just that, I know things are going to change after tomorrow,” the ranger said, sending the other boy a look that both confused him and made his face turn even redder. “I know I’ll be happy for Will, but there’s one tiny selfish part of me that knows I’m gonna miss us like this”.

Mike knew the black teen was talking about them as a whole group, but somehow, looking into his friend’s dark brown eyes, he couldn’t help but feel like Lucas was talking to him and him only. Of course, the thought did nothing to help him cool his face down. “W-Well,” he gulped, “I’m sure we can still be like this if we want to”.  _ Jesus! How did he manage to make me blush with something like that? _

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Mike,” the ranger chuckled. “Although, I know  _ I _ want to”.

“So, are you saying that I d—”

“Mike!” Dustin’s voice came from the kitchen. “I asked you to wake him up, not to sleep with him”.

The paladin cursed under his breath. That sentence had also done nothing to help cool things down for him.

Lucas got out of bed and turned back to his friend with a grin. “Looks like we’ve been summoned,” he said, offering the dungeon master a hand.

A smirk appeared on Mike’s lips as he took the other boy’s hand, letting his friend pull him up.

 

~~* * *~~

 

Steve watched as Lucas’ car pulled away from his house.

The little rascals had decided to bring him the Christmas presents before they went to New York, despite him telling them he would  _ probably _ come and hang out on New Year’s Eve anyway. Everything had gone exactly as planned. Well, not technically ‘exactly’, but he didn’t think anyone had planned for him to clean up the two slices of pizza on his floor. Or maybe that was his punishment for helping the devil.

Speaking of which, he needed to report back this incident.

Pulling out his phone, Steve called the number he’d never called before, although since he only called Nancy, Jonathan, and his workplace these days, that didn’t exactly mean anything.

“It’s done,” he said once the other line was picked up. “They did exactly what you thought they would, and nobody suspected anything”.

The other line replied, and he groaned. “Then why did you tell me to call you if you were going to spy anyway?”

He’d just tricked Dustin into kissing Lucas. Based on the boy’s utterly betrayed look, he had no doubt that he would be yelled at as soon as the kid got home. He hadn’t thought things through, and now he wondered if it had been worth it, since he didn’t get anything out of this.

“I don’t care,” he huffed. “You know how Dustin will be, and  _ I’m _ gonna have to deal with that. Your compensation better be worth it”.

He listened to the other line for a bit more before hanging up. It was so easy being the one behind the curtain, pulling strings and letting people like him do the dirty work. And the worst part? Steve Harrington, the responsible grownup, had just been dragged into some kind of teenage drama. Granted, he would do anything to make Dustin happy — not that he’d ever tell anyone that — but this happiness seemed quite far away, while the storm was definitely coming any moment now.

He looked back at the mistletoe under the kitchen doorway. He should probably put that away and clean the mess underneath it.

Better now than later.

 

~~****** ***** ******~~

 

Mike had no idea why he’d agreed to this.

Well, actually, he knew  _ exactly _ why. Will might have had the most irresistible pout ever, but Dustin’s was a close second.

Lucas and Will were going on a date, or as they had called it earlier, ‘spending some quality time together’. The paladin wasn’t too happy with the thought, but that was definitely a subjective feeling since, the dungeon master knew for a fact that all the boys in the Party were in love with Will, and he was certain Lucas was the admirer. He’d actually suspected that way before the admirer had mentioned Will’s pout in his note. After all, the gifts had seemed too personal for someone who’d been admiring from afar, and with the Party taking up all of Will’s free time, it was impossible for them to know this much about the cleric without his friends noticing. That left him with Dustin and Lucas, and one of them was definitely more likely to do something like this.

Apparently, the bard had also come to the same conclusion, since the curly-haired teen had shown up at his door at a little after 9am, before Mike had even brushed his teeth, determined to drag him along to spy on the other two. It had taken him another hour and a half to have breakfast and get ready, but the other boy had managed to get what he wanted.

And now, four hours later, he was freezing his ass off in a bush, trying to spot his friends returning from wherever they’d gone. Dustin had spotted Lucas’ car outside Will’s place, and after scouting around a little, had concluded that the other two had gone somewhere on foot. The blue-eyed teen had parked a little further down the road, hoping that the ranger and the cleric hadn’t gone that way, before dragging Mike behind a bush to avoid being spotted. The paladin had almost immediately regretted agreeing to this, since unlike his partner in crime, he wasn’t a natural heater. Dustin would always overheat under just one blanket, while he would need to be under at least three to keep himself from freezing in winter. After half an hour of him complaining, the bard’s solution to that had been to lean back against Mike’s chest and wrap the dungeon master’s slightly oversized jacket around both of them.  _ ‘I’m warm enough for both of us’, _ the boy had said without turning around. That wouldn’t have been a terrible plan if Mike hadn’t liked having the shorter teen against his chest so much, and it definitely wouldn’t have been a terrible plan if said teen hadn’t fallen asleep not too long ago.

The paladin had always been proud of his storytelling ability — the campaigns he’d thought of when they were little and the stories he’d submitted in class had all been well received. Therefore it had definitely taken him by surprise and made him question his own ability when Dustin fell asleep while he was talking about a plot he’d thought of for a story he wanted to write in the future. The bard was usually quite energetic, especially on their days off, so he couldn’t imagine how tired he’d made the other boy for him to fall asleep like that.

However, he did know that they’d been sitting there for three and a half hour, that his ass was still freezing despite the rest of his body being warmed up in this position, and that the blue-eyed teen would probably catch a cold if they stayed any longer.

“Dustin?” He said softly. No response.

“Dustin, c’mon,” he said a little louder, shaking the other teen a little, “you’re gonna catch a cold”.

His friend was still sound asleep.

_ Jeez, did I bore you that much? _

The dungeon master sighed in defeat and looked behind him. The bard’s car was parked about 100ft behind them, but there was absolutely no way he could carry the other boy that far. Mike Wheeler might have a lot of things, but an athletic body wasn’t one of them. After thorough consideration, the raven-haired teen decided to shift his sleeping friend a little, resting him against a tree and putting the jacket over him before searching for Dustin’s key in his jeans pocket to move the car closer to them. The road was about 20ft away from them, so it would be a more plausible distance.

After the paladin moved the car as close to them as possible, he finally had to face his biggest problem. With the bard’s current position, there was no way for him to get the other boy on his back. Perhaps it would’ve been possible if the blue-eyed teen had been awake, but again, he wouldn’t even need to carry the other boy in that scenario.

“You sure you don’t want to wake up and save me the trouble?” He asked, patting his friend’s cheek a couple of times.

_ No dice. _

Mike groaned. This was just his luck. “You owe me big time for this,” he grumbled and put one arm behind Dustin’s back and the other under the blond teen’s legs.  _ If he wakes up right after this, I’m gonna murder him. _

That 20ft walk from their stakeout spot to the car was the most excruciating experience he’d ever had. It certainly didn’t help that the bard was  _ a lot _ heavier than him either. For better or worse, the blue-eyed boy didn’t wake up once — not when the paladin picked him up, not during the undoubtedly uncomfortable walk, and not when Mike put him down on the passenger seat less-than-graciously.

“How  _ the fuck _ did I put you in a coma?” The taller teen said exasperatedly as he got in. He needed a moment before he could start driving.

 

* * *

 

Lucas checked the time again.  _ Five minutes until the New Year. _

The party animals were all on the roof of Nancy and Jonathan’s apartment building, and by ‘party animals’ he meant him, Mike, Dustin, Will, Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve. The rest of New York seemed to prefer squeezing themselves through the streets full of people to get to somewhere — probably Times Square. He’d hate to break it to anyone down there, but they wouldn’t be able to even walk 500ft in ten minutes with this kind of crowd.

Luckily, none of the Party members were too fond of crowds. They’d gone to a total of three parties during their four years of high school, and it was safe to say the lack of invitations due to their unpopularity hadn’t affected them that much, if at all. The three adults were also enjoying the less noisy atmosphere of the roof — since it was impossible to have a  _ quiet _ moment in the Big Apple, especially not on New Year’s Eve.

Dustin and Will were standing 10ft away from him. The curly-haired teen was whispering something in his boyfriend’s ear, making the shorter boy giggle. Their faces were both red, although the ranger suspect it was from the single can of beer each of them was allowed to have tonight. None of them liked the taste of the beverage anyway, so it hadn’t been the worst thing ever. However, he wouldn’t deny that it could be fun once in a while, especially if he wanted a boost of confidence or something similar.

“Still not bored of keeping an eye on them?” Mike asked as he approached the boy from the other side, making him turn away from the happy couple.

“I wasn’t keeping an eye on them,” the ranger huffed. “Plus, Jonathan was the one who’s making them follow the ‘no closed doors’ rule”.

“Fair enough,” the dungeon master chuckled. “So, what’s on your mind?” 

“Still can’t believe you’re not the one with Will right now,” Lucas shrugged.

“Hey, give Dustin a little credit,” the paladin nudged him on the arm. “He definitely deserves to be with Will after everything he’d done”.

“And I will never say otherwise,” the black boy rolled his eyes. “But I think I can say for everyone but Will that we all thought you two would end up together”.

The taller teen mirrored his expression. “I’m sure not everyone thought that”.

“C’mon, dude,” the ranger huffed, “even Dustin thought you’d end up with Will. You should’ve heard the way he talked about you”.

“How did he talk about me?” Mike furrowed his brows.

The other boy looked dumbfounded for a moment.  _ Great. He’s perceptive about anything but the things involving him. _ He mentally facepalmed himself. “Let’s just say that Will wasn’t the only one putting you on a pedestal. Dustin might know you’re not perfect, but you’re pretty perfect in his eyes. He never thought he could win Will over with you around”.

“Really?” The dungeon master sounded surprised, and his cheeks turned slightly pink. His friend wasn’t the type to flush when drinking alcohol, so Lucas had some idea what was going through the other boy’s mind.  _ Am I the only one who’s not oblivious in this Party? _

“Really. But don’t tell him I told you that,” he chuckled. “At least he got his happy ending, though. I’d hate to see him go back to when Max and I started dating”.

Mike scrunched his nose at the memory. “I wasn’t around too often for that part,” he said dejectedly. “I was such a jerk”.

“Hey,” the ranger bumped his friend’s shoulder gently, “you had your reasons. And for the record,  _ I _ wasn’t around too often for that part either. I’m glad they had each other”.

“Me, too,” the other boy smiled and glanced at the happy couple. “Come to think of it, this is the first New Year in five years I’m single”.

“You know,” Lucas snorted, “relatively, that was not a very long time”.

“Are you kidding me?” The paladin asked incredulously. “Four years for a first relationship? That was huge”.

“In that case, I am just as impressive as you,” the black teen chuckled and took another sip from his can. “Miss anything from back then?”

Now it was the dungeon master’s turn to snort. “Seriously? What is there to miss? I mean, I love Jane, but our chemistry ran out a  _ long _ time ago,” he said before smiling nostalgically. “Although, sharing a New Year’s kiss was nice”.

“Yeah, it was,” Lucas chuckled. Somewhere down the street, someone yelled something that sounded a little like  _ ‘thirty seconds’. _ “You know, we can still do it this year if we want to”.

He would definitely blame the alcohol for this if things went wrong, but the truth was, the substance helped him gather just enough courage to say it.

He was glad that one of his superpowers was being able to blush without anyone noticing. The others seemed to think he was so smooth, but the truth was, he was just as nervous as any of them when saying any of those cheesy things, or basically anything to his crushes. However, unlike the other boys and girls in the Party, he didn’t practically glow red when he said those. And based on the flush on the paladin’s cheeks, the boy had definitely heard that, so there was no backing out now.  _ He’s cute blushing like that, though. _

“W-What?” Mike finally stuttered out.

“You heard me,” the ranger smirked. “We’re both single, we both like the New Year’s kiss, and we’re both attractive”. He then turned to his friend with a fake glare. “You  _ do _ think I’m attractive, don’t you?”

That made the taller boy laugh, which, in turn, made him laugh, defusing the situation a little, and giving him another way out in case things went wrong. “You’re such a dork,” the dungeon master said after finally calming down, and Lucas decided to take a long sip from his can to avoid being awkwardly silent.

As his drink ran out, his excuse also ran out, and he was about to laugh it off as a joke, when—

“Yeah, sure, let’s do it,” Mike grinned back at him, although his face wasn’t too different from a car’s tail light.

“Wait, really?” He asked, because he honestly didn’t think that would’ve worked.

“Sure,” the other teen nodded. “And for the record, I  _ do _ think you’re attractive”.

“You did not just ‘for the record’ that,” Lucas snorted. “How drunk are you?”

“Are you underestimating me, Sinclair?” The paladin sent him a fake glare. “I had one drink”.

“What can I say?” The ranger shrugged. “I heard Wheelers are lightweights”.

At that moment, he learned that, in New York, he didn’t need to look at anything to countdown to New Year. In New York, the whole city counted for you.

_ Ten. _

_ Nine. _

_ Eight. _

“Fair enough,” the taller boy smirked. “Drunk enough to know that I want to do this, not so drunk for you to feel guilty about it later”.

_ Seven. _

_ Six. _

_ Five. _

“Sounds like the perfect amount,” he chuckled.

_ Four. _

_ Three. _

As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Mike’s hands went up to cup his cheeks, and his rested at the taller teen’s waist.

_ Two. _

_ One. _

They both leaned in.

_ Zero. _

 

* * *

 

It was the most perfect New Year’s kiss ever, and she was glad she got to share it with her girlfriend.

“Happy New Year,” Max beamed as they pulled away.

“Happy New Year,” Jane grinned back.

They were having a midnight picnic on the beach and watching the fireworks from afar. The two hadn’t been the only ones with that plan, but luckily, the place was big enough for them to have some privacy.

“This is officially the best holiday ever,” the telekinetic girl said contentedly and returned to watching the colorful celebration.

“Still can’t believe Joyce talked Hopper into letting me tag along,” the redhead sighed happily as she pulled the other girl back against her chest. “Do you think they knew?”

“I don’t think Hopper did,” her girlfriend said without looking back. “But Joyce? Probably. She knows  _ everything. _ She even knew about Dustin”.

“Yeah, about that,” Max paused to plant a quick kiss on Jane’s cheek, “do you know how she knew that? I know Dustin isn’t very good at being discreet, but he was doing a pretty good job”.

“Yeah, she did tell me about that,” the brunette chuckled and turned around. “Apparently, when he left Will’s present on the front porch for her to find, he hung around to make sure it got inside safely”. She rolled her eyes before continuing. “Joyce spotted him hiding around the corner, but she thought it was a Secret Santa thing so she played along”.

“Fuck, she’s so cool,” Max groaned. “I’m so jealous of your stepparent and stepbrother”.

“Well, they could be your in-laws one day,” Jane said playfully.

“Time out!” The blue-eyed girl held up both her hands. “Did you just ask me to  _ marry _ you one day?”

“I don’t know,” the brunette said in a singsong voice as she looked anywhere but at her girlfriend, “did I?”

“You’re the worst,” the redhead huffed and pulled the other girl back against her chest.

“I thought I was the best?” The telekinetic girl asked.

“You’re both, and you’re a pain in my ass,” the other girl said. However, if her tone hadn’t been clear enough, the way she held her girlfriend definitely made it clear that she wouldn’t trade that girl for anything.

“You know,” Jane hummed, “I really hope she’s gonna be as cool after our plan”.

“If she loves Will, and we all know she does, she will be,” Max assured her girlfriend. “It’s about his happiness, after all. It’s about all of them”.

“And you’re sure it’s gonna work?” The other girl asked.

“Positive,” the zoomer nodded. “I started thinking about that plan the moment Lucas told me he might have feelings for more than one boy. After all, who’s the better person to make him feel better about it than his ex-girlfriend who’s lived in the big city and seen pretty much everything Hawkins hasn’t?”

“And you’re sure he doesn’t know about our plan?”

“He’ll probably suspect something soon, but we’re good for now,” the redhead grinned. “Steve said they didn’t suspect anything, and I don’t think anyone suspected that you controlled the bottle to make Dustin kiss Mike either”.

“So we made sure Dustin realized his feelings for everyone, and everyone for Dustin,” Jane said. “We definitely don’t need to do anything about Will. The boys have done enough with the whole admirer thing. Our only problem now is our ex-boyfriends”.

“Don’t you just love messing with people this way?” Max chuckled excitedly.

“I didn’t realize you were such an evil villain,” the telekinetic girl said nonchalantly.

“Shut it,” the redhead punched her girlfriend in the arm, “you love me”.

“That I do”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Still have some questions that haven't been answered? Let me know in the comments.
> 
> How many Easter eggs have you found in this fic so far? How many movie/tv show/book references have you spotted? Especially the references to any IT character.
> 
> Thanks anyone and everyone who stays until this line, for sticking with me through this hell of a journey. Never thought I could write something longer than some of my favorite books.
> 
> As you might have guessed, I have a sequel in mind. Maybe I'll start that in the summer, or maybe I'll start another AU instead. Who knows? Definitely not me.
> 
> Happy holiday, everyone, and once again, thank you so much!

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me @[trashmouthdiangelo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/trashmouthdiangelo) on tumblr.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you think this looks familiar, it's because I used another fic as my inspiration and thankfully, the author of that fic has given me permission to write this.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Small thanks to @[castrateyourhumanpride](https://archiveofourown.org/users/castrateyourhumanpride), @[shewasthewind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewasthewind/), and @[trashmouthTM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/deasar/pseuds/trashmouthTM) for proofreading, although I think being able to read the chapters in advance is already enough for you.


End file.
